Residents in Malindi are decrying huge losses following a move by the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) to relocate the emergency department from Malindi.
Addressing the press in Malindi, the residents said that whenever they seek emergency services from KPLC's Malindi office, they are referred to contact Mombasa and Nairobi offices.
Eric Mwashigadi, an investor, lamented that he has been experiencing power challenges for three months and when he tries to contact the emergency wing, calls go unanswered, adding that whenever he enquires further, he is told that Malindi has no emergency line.
“Experiencing power challenges with no help has become a normal thing because we have been told several times that Malindi’s KPLC no longer has emergency services and that we should contact the Nairobi call centre,” he said on Tuesday.
According to Mwashigadi, it is now three months since the emergency department was transferred from the town, thus negatively affecting activities that rely on electricity.
The residents revealed that Kenya Power relocated the department without informing the people of Malindi.
Edward Kalama, a resident, asked KPLC to treat locals like other Kenyans from other places.
“Kenya Power created this tension because they never contacted anyone in Malindi before going ahead to effect the transfer as if we don’t have the right to get the emergency services. We are not begging, let Kenya Power address this issue,” said Kalama.
The residents further revealed that despite Malindi being a tourist destination, KPLC officers have been citing that the town is too small to have the emergency services.
When contacted for clarification on the allegations County KPLC manager Harrison Macharia directed journalists to contact the Nairobi call centre.
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