{"id":34944,"date":"2026-05-20T14:00:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T12:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/?post_type=news&#038;p=34944"},"modified":"2026-05-20T14:00:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T12:00:25","slug":"afdb-sanctions-firm-individuals-over-kenya-electricity-project-fraud","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/news\/afdb-sanctions-firm-individuals-over-kenya-electricity-project-fraud\/","title":{"rendered":"AfDB sanctions firm, individuals over Kenya electricity project fraud"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Esiko Kenya Enterprises Limited has been debarred from participating in AfDB-funded activities for nine months, while Chen Chao and Huang You, both citizens of China, have been barred for 12 months.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The sanctions follow an investigation by the Bank\u2019s Office of Integrity and Anti-Corruption, which found that the company and the two individuals engaged in fraudulent practices during a procurement process.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The misconduct occurred in connection with the Last Mile Connectivity Project Phase II, a programme aimed at expanding electricity access across Kenya. The project focuses on extending low-voltage lines and service cables to connect more households, particularly in underserved communities.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>According to the Bank, the fraudulent practices were linked to the design, supply and installation components of the project. The findings led to the decision to restrict the parties from participating in any activities financed by the institution for the duration of the penalties.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>During the debarment period, the company and its individuals will be ineligible to bid for or participate in Bank-supported projects. The restriction also applies to any entities under their control.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The AfDB said the sanctions are part of efforts to uphold integrity and accountability in projects funded across the continent. The institution has strengthened oversight mechanisms in recent years to address fraud and corruption in development programmes.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Last Mile Connectivity Project forms part of Kenya\u2019s broader initiative to increase access to electricity nationwide, with a focus on improving living conditions and supporting economic growth. The programme targets all 47 counties and prioritises connections for low-income households.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Bank said Esiko Kenya Enterprises Limited, Chen and Huang will only regain eligibility after their respective debarment periods and once they meet specific integrity requirements set by the institution.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211;AfDB&#8211;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":34945,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"news-type":[44],"class_list":["post-34944","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-finance","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has imposed sanctions on a Kenyan engineering company and two individuals following findings of fraud linked to an electricity access project in Kenya.","published_date":"","news_description":"The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has imposed sanctions on a Kenyan engineering company and two individuals following findings of fraud linked to an electricity access project in Kenya.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/34944","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/34944\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34946,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/34944\/revisions\/34946"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34945"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34944"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=34944"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}