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{
"id": 922079,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/922079/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Wetangula",
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"speaker": {
"id": 210,
"legal_name": "Moses Masika Wetangula",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I heard you announce that there is a school from my County. I, therefore, join you in welcoming them, although you may have passed that agenda. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Statement by Sen. Khaniri from Vihiga touches me in a personal way. I have a personal testimony that has caused pain to my family and I. The KP has consistently, every single month, come to my residence, disconnect power from the pole and then disappear. Three months ago, the KP sat with one of the personal assistants, and came up with a spurious figure of Kshs430,000 for them to change my account from postpaid metering to a pre-paid one. I asked the young man what the problem was, and he said that the swimming pool was consuming power. I said that, that was not a hotel, and the swimming pool runs once a week. They disconnected my power and to get the connection back, I had to pay. Two months later, the KP handed over a bill of Kshs526,000, and told me that they were going to disconnect power unless I paid. This is before they had even given me the pre-paid meters. Therefore, what Sen. Khaniri is talking about is not just an isolated case, as I know there are many other people who have suffered more than I have. A staff of this House has just reported to me that when they attempted to pay their electricity bills recently through a cheque, the KP declined and demanded for cash. This is happening when everybody is moving away from cash transactions to electronic payments. As we sit in this House, there is nobody more than myself and Sen. Ochillo- Ayacko, who have interacted with the KP. This is because I was the first regulator of electricity in this country, while Sen. Ochillo-Ayacko has been the Minister for Energy. Mr. Speaker, Sir, if this House has to protect Kenyans, we must rein in on the cartels that run the KP. This is because you cannot, as a private residence – and even if you run a factory, which I do not – pay a bill of Ksh526, 000 to the KP. When you do not pay, they disconnect you from the pole and because you are helpless, you then have to pay because they leave you and your family in limbo and darkness. Whenever they do that, it destroys every single electronic gadget in your house. Any food in the fridge is destroyed and they never compensate anybody for these malpractices. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I urge the Committee – my brother, Sen. Ochillo-Ayacko, and Sen. (Eng.) Maina, whom I am told is away in China – to, please, look into this matter. Whenever you sit to look at it, invite me, because I want to come and give my testimony to you."
}