Kenya: Police bust illegal electricity ring fuelling khat farms

Illegal electricity connections are a persistent challenge in the East African country, where they account for about 6% of commercial energy losses annually

Kenya Power and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have uncovered a vast illegal electricity network in Meru County that was secretly powering dozens of boreholes on local miraa farms.

Miraa is another name for khat, a shrub whose young leaves and shoots are chewed as a stimulant. In Kenya, especially in Meru County, miraa farming is a major cash crop and livelihood for thousands of households.

The leaves are harvested fresh and transported (often by road or air) to markets in Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti and other parts of the Horn of Africa.

In this episode of ESI Africa Insights, we speak with Billy Onyango, County Operations & Maintenance Engineer at Kenya Power, about the utility’s strategy to enhance grid reliability, expand energy access, and support workforce development through technology and partnerships

Miraa farming is highly water-intensive, which is why some farmers resort to using boreholes – in this case, powered by illegal electricity connections – to irrigate their crops.

The underground connections, discovered in Mpinda village and neighbouring areas of Igembe North and Igembe South, were found to be supplying electricity to more than 21 borehole pumps. 

Officials said the system had been constructed by a criminal network to support intensive irrigation for miraa.

Cost of illegal electricity connections

Kenya Power said the illegal connections caused 14 transformers to fail, which had to be replaced at a cost of KSh21 million ($163,000). The company also estimated that revenue losses from the illegal supply to the boreholes amounted to KSh90.7m ($704,000) over four years.

“Beyond financial losses, illegal power connections expose the public to the danger of electrocution and compromise the quality of electricity supply to our customers. We will not relent until all illegalities are eliminated,” said Joseph Siror, Kenya Power Managing Director and CEO.

Authorities in Kenya move to clamp down on electricity thieves

Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary James Opiyo Wandayi warned that electricity theft was undermining Kenya’s economic development. 

“The government is committed to ensuring that these illegalities are dealt with in the full force of the law,” he said.

Illegal connections are a persistent challenge across Kenya, where they account for about 6% of commercial energy losses annually, according to Kenya Power.

The company said it is carrying out countrywide operations to dismantle unsafe installations and reduce system losses.

A key suspect believed to be the mastermind of the Meru network was arrested in Maua town on Saturday, 16 August, after months on the run.

Cover photo:  One of the illegal electricity connections Kenyan authorities discovered. Source: DCI_Kenya/X