The saga surrounding the war between the Nairobi County Government and Kenya Power, which trades under the KPLC ticker on the Nairobi Stock Exchange, has taken a new twist as more governors have come forward to take sides.
Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Sherrif Nassir on Thursday, February 27 boldly backed his Nairobi counterpart Johnson Sakaja amid a spate of criticisms over how Nairobi County handled their feud with the power company.
According to the Mombasa County boss, they have also been in similar situations to other state agencies over pending bills, resulting in extreme action.
"The position of all governors is that wayleaves is a county function and if their job is to bring power, they shouldn't hop on roles which are not theirs. It is too much." the governor said.
The governor also revealed that despite agreements on paper, his county was still being subjected to threats.
He added, “It is unlawful and unconstitutional for Kenya Power to occupy and exploit county resources without compensating the people through their duly elected county governments."
On Thursday, the Council of Governors also released a statement calling for what they termed as "structured dispute mechanisms" to avoid disruption of essential services as a result of inter-state feuds.
The council, in its statement, strongly backed Sakaja, as they called on KPLC to The CoG has condemned what it calls KPLC’s “perennial disruptions” and called for structured dispute resolution mechanisms to prevent power disconnections that jeopardize essential services.
“It is time for KPLC to reflect on its actions, acknowledge the suffering caused by its practices, and work towards a fair, transparent, and predictable billing and disconnection process,” the statement read.
The council also urged KPLC to respect legal provisions such as Section 57 of the Physical and Land Use Planning Act, which regulates physical and land use planning.
Despite strong backing from the Council of Governors, the Sakaja and his county government continues to face an onslaught of criticism and legal action for its part in the feud.
The county government has particularly come under fire for spewing dirt and waste in front of Stima Plaza earlier this week - actions which Governor Sakaja denies any part of.
In a statement dated February 26, the Deputy DPP directed the DCI to launch investigations to determine the genesis of the clash, terming the dumping of garbage at the Stima Plaza as illegal and an imminent health hazard.
