Some households in Kibera will have to make do without electricity after Kenya Power disconnected illegal power connections.
Early this year, the government launched an ambitious project meant to provide access to legal, cheap and safe electricity to slum residents. This is especially because numerous fires and electrocutions have long been blamed on illegal and often dangerous electricity connections.
The project, which started with much gusto seems to have lost steam as many residents go without power and with no Kenya Power staff in sight.
The initiative was well received by some and criticised by others who claimed that the new pre-paid system was more expensive than the prices they had been previously accustomed to.
In the pre-paid system one has to power units from agents. In fact, some who had been legally connected have returned to using illegal connections.
On the other hand, there are many residents who claim that Kenya Power never connected them to the legal power lines in the first place.
Maxwell Kariuki, who lives in a plot with eight houses, says, “My house and another one in this plot were never connected to Kenya Power lines. But am happy currently we are connected to legal electricity.”