The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has arrested two police officers accused of demanding Ksh100,000 from a resident they had accused of illegally connecting electricity to his home.
The two officers, a police inspector and a corporal attached to Kenya Power’s Coast Regional Office, were arrested on Monday, August 24, following a complaint made to the anti-graft agency.
According to EACC, the officers allegedly told the complainant in Bombolulu that he would avoid investigation and possible legal action if he paid them Ksh100,000.
The resident reported the alleged demand to EACC, prompting investigators to look into the matter and plan an operation.
On Monday, the officers allegedly accompanied the complainant to a bank along Moi Avenue to collect the money.
The EACC officers arrested the two men opposite the bank after it emerged that they had received a bribe of Ksh50,000 from the complainant as part of their demands for the Ksh100,000 bribe.
“Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission has arrested two police officers from Kenya Power, Coast Regional Office, over alleged demands for a Ksh100,000 bribe from a complainant,” EACC said.
The officers were taken to Central Police Station in Mombasa, where they were charged and processed.
They have been released on a cash bond of Ksh30,000 pending further investigations.
EACC is now investigating the circumstances surrounding the alleged bribery and whether there were other people involved.
More bribery cases reported
The arrests come days after EACC arrested an immigration officer in Mombasa over a separate Ksh20,000 bribery allegation.
The officer was accused of asking for the money to speed up fingerprint processing and help a complainant get a passport faster.
The officer was arrested on August 21 following a complaint made at the commission’s Lower Coast Regional Office.
There have also been previous bribery cases involving Kenya Power services.
In May, EACC arrested a Kenya Power employee and another person over allegations that they demanded Ksh30,000 to reconnect electricity to a residential property after the supply had been disconnected.
The latest arrests add to the commission’s ongoing efforts to investigate bribery complaints involving public officers and other people offering government-related services.