City Hall-KPLC Drama Escalates As Sakaja Cuts Off Internet Connection To Stima Plaza, Disrupting Crucial Services

The simmering feud between Nairobi City County, led by Governor Johnson Sakaja, and the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) reached a boiling point today as county officials severed unauthorized fiber optic cables linked to internet services at Stima Plaza, KPLC’s headquarters.

The dramatic escalation disrupted critical online services, intensifying a bitter financial dispute over unpaid debts and wayleave fees amounting to billions of shillings.

The operation kicked off Tuesday morning along Argwings Kodhek Road, where county workers, under the supervision of Nairobi County Revenue Chief Officer Tiras Njoroge, dismantled internet cables mounted on KPLC power poles.

City Hall claims these installations, operated by Internet Service Providers (ISPs), lack county permits and have dodged mandatory wayleave fees—charges for the use of public land. The move effectively cut off internet access to Stima Plaza, paralyzing operations at the utility’s nerve center.

“We’ve been clear: these fiber lines are illegal,” Njoroge declared during the exercise. “ISPs have ignored our calls to pay for hosting cables on these poles and secure county approval. We’ve given them enough time, and now we’re acting.” He emphasized that the county relies on such revenue to deliver essential services to Nairobi residents.

The crackdown is the latest salvo in an ongoing war of attrition between City Hall and KPLC. At the heart of the conflict is a disputed KSh 4.8 billion debt that Nairobi County insists KPLC owes in unpaid wayleave fees. County Secretary Godfrey Akumali doubled down on this claim yesterday, accusing KPLC of stonewalling despite raking in profits.

“Let it be very clear—KPLC owes us Sh4.8 billion. They announce their earnings publicly, yet they refuse to settle their dues,” Akumali said in a fiery media briefing.

KPLC, meanwhile, has countered that Nairobi County owes it Sh3 billion in unpaid electricity bills—a figure that reportedly ballooned by Sh1.3 billion over the past two years.

The utility has dismissed the county’s claims, citing the Energy Act of 2019, which prohibits public bodies from levying fees on energy infrastructure without approval from the Cabinet Secretary.

On Monday, KPLC flexed its muscles by disconnecting power to City Hall, plunging the county headquarters into darkness and forcing officials to rely on generators.

Not to be outdone, Governor Sakaja’s administration retaliated with Tuesday’s operation, targeting KPLC’s lucrative side hustle: leasing its power poles to ISPs for fiber optic installations.

Finance CEC Charles Kerich accused KPLC of profiting off public infrastructure while dodging its financial obligations. “Those green and red cables you see on their poles? That’s internet. KPLC is making money hosting optic cables, yet they won’t pay us. If they don’t pay, who are we supposed to pay?” Kerich quipped.

Njoroge went further, alleging that KPLC has facilitated a network of non-compliant ISPs, allowing them to bypass county regulations, business permits, and even oversight from the Communications Authority of Kenya.

“It’s unacceptable that KPLC is aiding these companies to evade accountability while starving the county of revenue,” he said.

The fallout was immediate. By mid-morning, Stima Plaza was offline, disrupting KPLC’s customer service portals, billing systems, and internal operations.

Businesses and residents relying on internet services in the vicinity reported outages, amplifying the chaos. Social media buzzed with reactions, with some Nairobians hailing Sakaja’s bold move while others decried the tit-for-tat tactics as petty governance.

The dispute, which dates back to 2007 when KPLC first challenged the county’s authority to impose wayleave fees, shows no signs of resolution. Yesterday, county workers upped the ante by clamping KPLC vehicles and dumping garbage outside Stima Plaza—a symbolic jab at the utility’s refusal to pay up. Today’s internet blackout marks a new low in the saga, with both sides digging in their heels.

As Nairobi’s power and internet woes deepen, residents are left caught in the crossfire of a high-stakes standoff.

With billions of shillings and control of critical infrasructure on the line, the question remains: who will blink first—City Hall or KPLC? For now, the capital’s services hang in the balance as this drama unfolds.