A Kenya Power technician in Vihiga just got arrested for allegedly shaking down churches and businesses with threats to cut their electricity — and kumbe, this wasn't even his first rodeo. The EACC finally caught him red-handed after a sting operation, and bana, the audacity!

From Damaged Poles to Dangerous Demands

Picture this: October 2022, God's Vision for Africa — a faith-based organisation in Vihiga — spots a rotten, dangerous electricity pole near their premises. They report it to Kenya Power. Nothing happens. Weeks pass. Still nothing. Frustrated and genuinely fearing their building could catch fire or someone gets electrocuted, these guys do the sensible thing — they hire a private contractor to fix it themselves. Sawa, problem solved, right? Wrong.

The KPLC technician attached to Mbale-Vihiga Office didn't like that one bit. Instead of being professional about it, he allegedly threw a tantrum and threatened to disconnect their power supply, claiming the pole replacement was "illegal" without his approval. Then came the extortion demands: Ksh50,000 to keep their lights on. When the organisation refused to be shaken down at their own place of worship, they walked straight into EACC offices and dropped the case.

A Pattern of Shakedowns That Caught Up With Him

Here's where it gets worse. The EACC's investigation — which took months of careful planning — revealed this wasn't a one-time thing. Ndio, the guy had a whole playbook of extortion. On October 21, 2022, he allegedly demanded Ksh20,000 from another victim using the same electricity disconnection threat. Then on October 24 and 25, he hit up two more people for Ksh15,000 each. All in Mbale. All the same script.

When the Director of Public Prosecutions approved charges under the Anti-Bribery Act, the technician finally got arrested on May 6, 2026 — about three years after these shakedowns started. He was presented before Kisumu Anti-Corruption Court and released on a Ksh200,000 cash bail with a surety, but the damage was already done. His case is now joining the long line of public officers facing prosecution for corruption.

💥 Why This Matters

• A government employee using his position to extort vulnerable people — including churches — is absolutely unacceptable
• The fact that this took years to investigate shows how deep corruption runs in our key service institutions
• EACC's sting operation proves that when people report these things, action can happen — eventually

The Jukwaa Take: Aki, if you're bold enough to extort a church over electricity, you deserve exactly what's coming — and we're here for EACC finally making examples out of these corrupt officials who think their uniform gives them a license to steal.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke