Charles Cheruiyot, a member of a technical audit team at Kenya Power at the time, came across very shocking information. His audit team had spent four days reviewing the company’s connectivity report and had unravelled a meter scam at the company.

But to be absolutely sure, like every good auditor, he had to prove his claims. So he spent time with his audit team calling all customers that had been listed in the company’s Integrated Customer Service (ICS) system as having been recently connected.

One call after the other, his men were coming back mystified. Most of the connections were either fake, or the metres were simply activated by unscrupulous members of staff from the boots of their cars before disappearing – no actual building had been connected.

This was the time when the company was swimming in billions, its cash flows were solid, its procurement department was in a frenziedly ordering poles, prepaid meters, cables, conductors and transformers by truckloads.

Read more: AllAfrica