In the slums of Nairobi, the scourge of illegal connections to the electricity grid

On days of heavy rain, in the poor neighborhood of Kibera, In Nairobi, adults give strange advice to children: “Don’t touch the walls on the way to school. » In the past, several people have died from electrocution while leaning on the tin walls of houses, their bodies having been struck by lightning due to the electrically conductive metal.

The electrical grid is so faulty and connections so messy that deaths from electrocution are common. At the root of many tragedies are illegal connections to the Kenya Power grid, the country’s public electricity company. Instead of paying their bill to the public operator, residents prefer to pay less to unsafe intermediaries who do not take safety issues into account. According to the national statistics office, some 680,000 households are affected by illicit connections in Kenya. Kenya Power refutes this figure without giving any others.

In Kibera, a giant sprawl of tin houses on a hillside, the problem is endemic. So much so that the neighbors, somewhat ironically, gave a name to the informal electrification system: “Power of Kibera”. the neighborhood, Located 6 km south of central Nairobi, it is considered the largest slum in Africa and is believed to be home to around 500,000 people. “Often, when it rains too much, parents do not send their children to school to avoid accidents”explains Renice Owino, a young woman who grew up in the neighborhood. He founded Code With Kids, an association that teaches children computer codes.

Electrocuted in the shower

The list of child deaths is long. In August 2023, a 6-year-old girl was electrocuted to death in a bathroom after leaning against a wall in contact with an exposed electrical wire. In November of the same year, another 12-year-old boy died after stepping on a cable while playing with friends. In 2019, a young woman lost her life, also electrocuted, while washing in the neighborhood’s public showers. Nationwide, 345 people died from electrocution between 2019 and 2021, according to Kenya Power.

In the Kibera DC subdistrict, two chairs with worn leather take up all the space in Isaac’s small barbershop. A mirror covers an entire section of the wall and old fabrics dry on a line. “Everyone does this, they connect to the network illegally” said Isaac, the boss. She wears a blue apron tied around her waist as if she is preparing to cook. A mute client cuts his hair with a clipper. It is the first day of October and, despite the narrowness of the room, it is strangely cold. “I am connected without authorization and pay 500 Kenyan shillings [3,50 euros] per month »explains.

The sum is enough to cover the electrical needs of his business: two hair clippers, a kettle, a refrigerator, a neon light and a small sound system to set the mood. There are some electrical outlets available so customers can charge their mobile phones. If legally connected to Kenya Power, the hairdresser would pay between 1,500 and 2,000 shillings (between 10 and 14 euros) per month. A fortune when he only charges 50 shillings (35 euro cents) for the slice.

Repeated fires

A client enters the salon wearing a striped shirt and a dark cap. His name is Steven and he works as a security guard in the more affluent areas of central Nairobi. For his electricity, he also pays 500 shillings each month to “people” which are not Kenya Power. “Few people are legally connected because connection is very expensive. The cable to reach the house and the meter to install cost Sh70,000. [491 euros]. »

Isaac, the hairdresser, has exchanged his clippers for a hot cloth that he rubs on the head of the silent client sitting in front of him. Yo “I was lucky, my business never burned down. But it happened to others”explains. Then he extends his hand towards the street: “My neighbor’s store burned down. Due to a network problem, the electrical resistance of his kettle melted the plastic and caused a fire in the store. »

It’s the same kind of story that Agnès, 45, tells in her small house nestled in a maze of barracks and dirt roads, not far from the Kibera court. “Two years ago a fire broke out in a neighbor’s house due to a poor electrical connection. Clothes drying on a clothesline caught fire. Everything burned. »

Power outages are another consequence of uncontrolled network connections. Kenya Power transformers are rated for a certain number of connections. Those officially planned. Too many informal connections regularly make people lose their minds. In her home, in addition to candles, Agnès uses a paraffin lamp suspended from the wall by a nail.

Control of the “electric cartel”

At the origin of illegal connections the same name arises: “The electricity poster”. The term is as terrifying as it is imprecise. “In Kenya, cartels are between the criminal organization and the economic cartel. These are structures that want to appear legitimate and that may have links with the powers that be.”explains Patrick Naef, an anthropologist at the University of Geneva, who has long worked on organized crime in Colombia and now lives in Nairobi. Cartels also exist in the water, waste collection and public transport sectors.

HE “electricity poster” He would collect the amounts paid each month, threaten Kenya Power employees who wanted to enter the slum and have close ties with players in the sector, including the Ministry of Energy. James Wandayi, current Minister of Energy and Petroleum, recognized this in March 2023, considering that the sector was “infested with cartels”.

In Kibera, the short rainy season will begin in November as throughout the country. The alleys will fill with water until they become slippery and muddy. And like every year, parents will advise children not to touch the walls.