The Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has requested information from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) regarding probes into suspected financial mismanagement in the halted Settet and Kipsonoi hydropower ventures managed by KTDA Power Company.
Through correspondence dated April 29 of this year, the ODPP confirmed receiving a petition from Senate Majority Leader and Kericho Senator Aaron Cheruiyot concerning the initiatives designed to lower electricity expenses for small-scale tea growers.
The ODPP highlighted that the issue originated on March 18 of this year, when Senator Cheruiyot expressed alarm over purported financial misconduct and procurement violations during the hydropower projects’ execution.
“The correspondence alleges that Ksh978 million provided by KTDA-operated tea factories and farmers for the Settet Hydropower Project was embezzled and wrongly applied. We are requesting a status report on the probe’s advancement to facilitate a thorough reply to the complainant,” the document stated in part.
The focus of the complaint centers on the Settet Small Hydropower Project situated along the Chemosit River in Kericho County and the planned Kipsonoi Hydropower Project in Bomet County, both directed by KTDA Power Company Limited.
As per the Senator’s account, tea farmers contributed funds through deductions from KTDA-administered factories, anticipating reduced electricity expenses and enhanced profits.
Nevertheless, Cheruiyot asserted that despite these financial inputs, the project, originally planned to produce approximately 2.6 megawatts of electricity, has been inactive for more than ten years.
He additionally mentioned that the Kipsonoi Hydropower Project, meant to support Settet by increasing electricity availability for tea factories in Bomet County, has not yet begun construction.
The Senator stated that the ongoing delays have prevented benefits such as lower production expenses, extra income from excess power sales to the national grid, and enhanced factory energy reliability.
He has also voiced apprehension regarding potential fund misappropriation or diversion, advocating for a complete forensic examination of all contributions provided by tea farmers via KTDA-supervised factories.
In its correspondence, the ODPP requested that EACC supply a detailed report on the investigation’s progress to allow the office to respond to the complainant suitably.
The ODPP additionally emphasized the necessity for transparency regarding procurement procedures, funding setups, and project management choices associated with the two hydropower initiatives.