Nairobi Police Stations Hit by Power and Water Crisis Over Millions in Unpaid Bills
2 min read
Major police stations across Nairobi, including Kasarani, Buruburu, Lang’ata and Kamukunji, are facing a major crisis after electricity and water services were disconnected over unpaid bills running into millions of shillings.
The blackout has affected police offices, cells and officers’ houses, making it difficult for officers to provide services to the public.
Some officers said the stations have been without electricity for several months after Kenya Power disconnected power directly from the transformers due to huge debts.
At some stations, officers are forced to use solar power and candles to continue working. Others said even police cells and staff houses have been left in darkness.
The lack of electricity has also slowed service delivery. Members of the public seeking services such as police abstracts have reportedly been directed to nearby cyber cafes because officers cannot print documents at the stations.
The situation is even worse at Kasarani Police Station, where officers said they have also been experiencing water shortages for months and are now buying water from vendors.
Although Lang’ata Police Station has a backup generator, officers said it is too expensive to operate because there is no money to buy enough fuel.
The National Police Service (NPS) admitted that government institutions sometimes face financial difficulties, especially at the beginning and end of the financial year.
The crisis has raised concerns among Kenyans, especially at a time when the government is pushing to digitise police services and improve service delivery across the country.
The National Police Service was allocated Ksh.144.7 billion in this financial year’s budget, while the Ministry of Interior is overseeing a budget of more than Ksh.315 billion.
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