Sakaja blames guard dogs, locked gates amid water bill manipulation concerns » Capital News

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 22 – The Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC) is on the spot over Sh524 million in estimated water bills for over 112,000 accounts, raising concerns of weak oversight and possible manipulation.

According to the 2024 Auditor-General’s report, 112,620 customer accounts were billed using estimates, with 15,320 of them estimated consecutively for more than six months—a pattern flagged as a red flag for potential negligence or irregularities.

Appearing before the Senate Public Investments Committee on Monday, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja faced tough questions over the prolonged estimates.

NCWSC management attributed the issue to inaccessible meters, blaming locked gates and guard dogs.

But senators were unconvinced.

“Where are these accounts you couldn’t access for six months? Is this State House or some security zone?” asked Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna.

“You break down gates for other operations, but you can’t read 15,000 meters?”

NCWSC Managing Director Engineer Nahashon Muguna defended the agency, saying efforts were underway to relocate meters, leave written notices, and implement SMS alerts to notify customers of meter reading attempts.

The Auditor-General noted that NCWSC only submitted its explanation in February 2025, long after the audit window had closed.

A physical verification of 7,031 disputed accounts has since been ordered within fourteen days.

Senators also criticized the company’s delay in adopting smart meter technology, which could reduce reliance on estimates.

Muguna argued the high cost—up to Sh20,000 per unit—made widespread rollout nonviable, but senators disagreed.

“Smart meters are not a luxury. They are a necessity,” said Senator Godfrey Osotsi.

“The revenue lost every year due to non-revenue water is over Sh8 billion.”