Man, 70, charged with illegal power connection – VIDEO
A 70-year-old man charged with fraudulent consumption of electricity at Makadara law courts accused police and Kenya power officials of harassing him due to his age and failure to bribe them.
John Ochanda Okanda was jointly charged with George Owiti who was not in court after they were arrested in Darfur area within Kariobangi in Nairobi but lamented extensively before chief magistrate Heston Nyaga.
They are jointly accused of having been found consuming electrical energy which is not ascertained by meter or any other apparatus or device belonging to the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC).
They are also charged with the unauthorized supply of electrical energy.
In the second charge, they are jointly accused of having supplied electrical energy to members of the community living within Darfur without consent from KPLC on March 15.
But Ochanda said he has an account and has paid for the electricity at that house since 2002.
“It is people surrounding me who are the electricity thieves but were not arrested. They want money from me,” Okanda protested.
They had been arrested during a crackdown on illegal electricity connections on Monday but Owiti was released on bond to attend court which he did not.
Okanda told chief magistrate Heston Nyaga that he was in court only because he was not able to bribe like the rest.
He was freed on a Sh10,000 personal bond to bring the documents ascertaining that he has been paying for electricity. The case will be mentioned on March 23. Nyaga also issued a warrant of arrest for Owiti.