Nairobi County Senator Edwin Sifuna has sharply criticized Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi for what he terms as neglect of duty amid an escalating dispute between Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) and the Nairobi City County government.
Speaking in the Senate on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, Sifuna expressed frustration over the CS’s apparent lack of intervention in the ongoing standoff.
He faulted Wandayi for focusing on 2027 politics instead of resolving the escalating dispute, which has seen both entities engage in retaliatory actions.
“Yesterday I ran into the former Energy CS Davis Chirchir. I was saying that if he was still in that docket, the drama we are seeing in Nairobi of the county government dumping garbage outside Kenya Power offices and Kenya Power retaliating by cutting power to the county government offices, you would not see those things because he would take leadership,” Senator Sifuna stated.
He went on to call out Wandayi for his inaction, insisting that a competent CS should step in to de-escalate the situation rather than focus on political ambitions.
“When you see a CS and there’s a fight in your docket but you do nothing at all— all you talk about is 2027 politics—you have failed as a CS,” he added.
Wandayi’s take
However, appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Energy on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, CS Wandayi said that he had engaged Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja over the escalating brawl between the county government and Kenya Power.
“I engaged with Governor Sakaja yesterday to stop the escalation of the matter and restore normalcy as we explore ways of resolving the matter amicably,” he said.
Wandayi further dismissed claims of unpaid wayleaves, stating that such charges are illegal under the Energy Act of 2019.
“No public body shall charge levies on public energy infrastructure without the consent of the Cabinet Secretary in writing. As we speak, there is no such consent,” he emphasized.
KPLC-Nairobi County standoff
Kenya Power operations were disrupted on Monday, February 24, 2025, after garbage was dumped at their headquarters at Stima Plaza in a dispute with Nairobi County over unpaid bills accumulated over the past 18 months.
Speaking on the incident on February 24, 2025, Kenya Power’s General Manager for Commercial Services and Sales, Rosemary Oduor, accused staff from the Nairobi County government of the act.
She attributed the incident to Kenya Power’s recent decision to disconnect electricity supply to county government installations for non-payment.
“This morning, we had our work going on, and then all of a sudden, we realized that there were county government trucks with garbage. One of them came and dropped the garbage right in front of our commercial offices at Stima Plaza. Several other trucks with garbage are still on standby around the building,” Oduor stated.
Resolution efforts
Addressing a press conference at the City Hall on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja regretted the move to dump garbage outside KPLC, arguing that the trucks were only meant to block the entrance to the Stima Plaza.
“It was unfortunate that one of the trucks tipped and dumped the garbage. That was not our intention, and that is why in less than 30 minutes that garbage was collected. That is not how Nairobi County operates, and the whole action will be dealt with internally,” Sakaja explained.
He revealed that a meeting between county leadership, the Public Service, the Ministry of Energy, and the leadership of Kenya Power had resolved to end the hostility that had been triggered by debts.
“We have had a fruitful meeting with the leadership of the Ministry of Energy led by Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi. We had the head of Public Service, we had Kenya Power Limited, and our officers and teams. We agreed on a number of issues, and a joint statement is going to be issued. The first thing we have resolved is that the hostilities end and issues be sorted out amicably. We have now given instructions to restore water supply to their premises and to remove the trucks that have been blocking access,” Sakaja said.
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