A Kenya Power and Lighting Company employee has been arrested and charged with bribery after allegedly demanding money from a Vihiga organisation that had replaced a dangerous electricity pole on its own after the utility company failed to act.
Kennedy Wambani Oduor, attached to the KPLC Mbale-Vihiga Office, was nabbed by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission after investigations established that he solicited and received a Ksh20,000 bribe.
The matter dates back to October 2022, when God’s Vision for Africa in Vihiga reported a damaged and dangerous electricity pole near its premises to KPLC.
Despite repeated reports, nothing was done, forcing the organisation to hire a private contractor to replace the rotten pole and avert the risk of electrocution and fire.
According to investigators, Oduor became agitated upon learning that the organisation had gone ahead to replace the pole without going through KPLC, and allegedly threatened to disconnect their power supply unless he was paid Ksh50,000.
The matter was then reported to the EACC, which launched an investigation and mounted an operation that caught Oduor in the act of receiving Ksh20,000.
The case was forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions, who approved bribery charges against him under the Anti-Bribery Act.
Oduor was booked at Kisumu Central Police Station and arraigned before the Kisumu Anti-Corruption Court on May 7, 2026, where he was released on a cash bail of Ksh200,000 with a surety of a similar amount.
