The Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) managing director and Chief Executive Officer, Joseph Siror, has disclosed that he averted what could have been a serious conflict after City Hall dumped garbage at Stima Plaza.
Siror stated that despite intense pressure from his employees to retaliate, he refused to authorise aggressive response.
Instead, he said, he chose to handle the situation with diplomacy to have a peaceful resolution rather than escalate tensions.
“I know my team because the vehicles were clamped...so many things were done, there was super annoyance. They really persuaded me to respond in a particular way, and I resisted it,” he said.
“I said as a man who believes in the rule of law and as one who is soon to be an advocate of the high court, I said I can’t do that.”
Speaking during an event in Nairobi, Siror also sought to clarify that this was not a supremacy battle between KPLC and City Hall.
He said the payment was due, and as per the legal provisions, certain measures are allowed.
The CEO noted that that despite their efforts to amicably resolve the dispute through available diplomatic channels, it still failed, forcing them to act, only for it to yield unexpected results.
“We did diplomatically, I persuaded them, we engaged, but I saw they were going downhill and that is the much I could do,” he stated.
When he appeared before parliament, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja said two county officers have been interdicted, while three were arrested for directing the dumping.
Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, on his part, said he had directed the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to probe the matter.
He added that three employees were arrested and charged with sabotage, robbery with violence and illegal waste disposal.
The dispute between the two started after KPLC switched off electricity to several county facilities last month.
In retaliation, the county cut off the water supply to Stima Plaza.
Sakaja said Kenya Power owed the county Sh4.9 billion in unpaid wayleave fees while, at the same time, the county had unpaid electricity bills.
Following the dispute, Head of Public Service Felix Koskei convened a meeting of officials from KPLC, Nairobi County, the Energy Ministry and City Hall to try and resolve it.
Last Sunday, President William Ruto acknowledged that the county made a mistake as he revealed that he called both Sakaja and the KPLC management over it.
