Witness says Kenya Power rejected faulty transformers

A prosecution witness Tuesday told a Nairobi court that Kenya Power #ticker:KPLC did not receive any substandard transformers.

Mr Joseph Oketch, a director at Energy Regulatory Commission said the company rejected the faulty transformers after procurement in 2015.

He told senior principal magistrate Felix Kombo that he conducted the inspection together with his colleagues and forwarded their findings to the DCI on July 18, 2018.

While being cross-examined by lawyer Migos Ogamba, Mr Oketch said the transformers certified as faulty were rejected and that they noted areas of non-compliance with the procurement procedures, which they listed in their report but he did not divulge the details.

He said that some 501 transformers supplied by Muwa Trading Company met the specifications. The prosecution alleges that Muwa supplied 708 transformers at cost of Sh408 million but 327 of them were faulty and had to be repaired.

Former senior managers at KPLC including former MD Ben Chumo, his successor Ken Tarus and 12 others have been charged over the procurement of the faulty transformers.