Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has announced a string of measures his county government has taken to completely end the feud with the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) after the two factions openly clashed in February.
Sakaja held a meeting with the Senate Committee on Tuesday, April 1, where he gave a detailed update on the measures being taken to resolve the dispute, which stemmed from unpaid dues.
One of the biggest resolutions, according to Sakaja, was the adaptation of a joint meter verification, which will be conducted in two phases - a physical and financial verification. This, according to the governor, was done to identify discrepancies.
Secondly, the governor told the Committee that the Nairobi County government and KPLC had agreed to meet their respective obligations to avoid inconveniences in the future. On the county government's part, this entails paying any pending bills on time.
"The implementation of a billing format and the verification of pending bills will not only ensure accurate billing but also help in identifying any discrepancies and resolving them promptly to avoid future disruptions," the governor observed.
In February, KPLC demanded approximately Ksh3 billion from Nairobi County for unpaid electricity bills, with a large chunk of this sum stemming from street lighting. As a way to curb this challenge, Sakaja revealed there is a proposal to have special tariffs for street lighting.
This system can be essential in ensuring streets are well-lit consistently since separate billing for street lighting would ensure any unresolved bills from Nairobi County would not interfere with street lights.
Besides plans to have special tariffs for street lighting, the Nairobi County government also revealed that there are plans in place to solarise street lights to mitigate hefty bills.
Sakaja also emphasised the need for sustainable solutions to avoid escalations of feuds, as was witnessed in February when there was a standoff outside Stima Plaza - Kenya Power's Nairobi offices.
The standoff was triggered after the county government allegedly blocked a sewer line, resulting in waste spilling into KPLC's premises.
In some unsavoury scenes, massive heaps of waste were piled up at the entrance of the building that serves as Kenya Power headquarters - actions that Sakaja has since described as unfortunate after calling a truce with the power company.
At the time, the governor condemned the retaliatory act by workers from the Nairobi County government but maintained that the county government had the authority to take action against Kenya Power. He argued that just as Kenya Power disconnects electricity over unpaid bills, the county government also has 'legal remedies.'
