How ex-Kenya Power boss Ben Chumo got off the hook in Sh400M graft charges

By Steve UMIDHA

Former Chief executive of Kenya Power, Dr Ben Chumo Wednesday breathed a sigh of relief after the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Noordin Haji withdrew the Sh400million court case against him and 10 others citing a lack of evidence.

The DPP withdrew the case under Section 87 (a) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC).

Dr Chumo was charged in 2018 together with his successor Ken Tarus, Beatrice Meso, K.P Mungai, Joshua Mutua, Abubakar Swaleh, Samuel Ndirangu, Stanley Mutwiri, Benson Muriithi, Peter Mwicigi and John Ombui on charges relating to supply of faulty transformers.

Also charged were directors of Muwa Trading Company Ltd, James Njenga Mungai, Grace Wanjira Mungai and John Mungia, the company alleged to have supplied the faulty transformers. The case against the company and its directors was, however, withdrawn last year.

Chumo, retired in January 2017 as the Managing Director of Kenya Power after attaining the age of 60, was five years ago accused of fraudulent acquisition of public property and aiding the commission of a felony, charges he rebutted.

Chumo is now the Chairman of Eagle HR consultants.

At Kenya power’s peak, the firm’s after-tax profit flew by 52 percent in a single half-year period to register a remarkable Sh6.408 billion between July and December 2014 from Sh4.19 billion it announced in a similar interval a year earlier.

That half-year trading result was attributed to increased sales as a result of improved power supply and upsurge in connectivity sustained by tariff increase that had been achieved a year earlier.

In the financial year 2016/17 the firm reported a profit before tax (PBT) of Sh12.1Billion – the best the company has managed yet.

During his reign at the utility firm, Dr. Chumo – a Human Resource practitioner by training who took over the reins in June 2013 from his role as the company’s Chief Manager, Human Resources and Administration – initially in an acting capacity spearheaded the firm to its best financial performance yet.

For starters, Kenya Power had 15 CEOs between 1922 and 2014. Meaning each CEO served for an average of 6 years and 4 months.