FORM 4 Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b).

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

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1. Name and Address of Reporting Person * AKIN BRUCE A   2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol WESTAR ENERGY INC /KS [WR] 5. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable) _____ Director _____ 10% Owner __X__ Officer (give title below) _____ Other (specify below) SVP, Power Delivery (Last) (First) (Middle) 818 S KANSAS AVE 3. Date of Earliest Transaction (Month/Day/Year) 01/18/2018 (Street) TOPEKA, KS 66612 4. If Amendment, Date Original Filed(Month/Day/Year) 6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing(Check Applicable Line) _X_ Form filed by One Reporting Person ___ Form filed by More than One Reporting Person (City) (State) (Zip) Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned

1.Title of Security (Instr. 3) 2. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year) 2A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year) 3. Transaction Code (Instr. 8) 4. Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5) 5. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 3 and 4) 6. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4) 7. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4) Code V Amount (A) or (D) Price Common Stock Par Value $5.00 01/18/2018   A(1)   4,389 A $ 0 39,348 (2) D   Common Stock Par Value $5.00 01/18/2018   F(3)   1,289 D $ 52.825 38,059 (2) D

Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly.
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Table II - Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
(e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)

1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 3)

2. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security

3. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)

3A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)

4. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)

5. Number of Derivative Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D) (Instr. 3, 4, and 5)

6. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date (Month/Day/Year)

7. Title and Amount of Underlying Securities (Instr. 3 and 4)

8. Price of Derivative Security (Instr. 5)

9. Number of Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 4)

10. Ownership Form of Derivative Security: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)

11. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)

Code

V

(A)

(D)

Date Exercisable

Expiration Date

Title

Amount or Number of Shares

Reporting Owners

Reporting Owner Name / Address	Relationships
	Director	10% Owner	Officer	Other
AKIN BRUCE A 818 S KANSAS AVE TOPEKA, KS 66612			SVP, Power Delivery

Signatures

Cynthia S. Couch by power of attorney		01/18/2018
**Signature of Reporting Person		Date

Explanation of Responses:

*	If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4(b)(v).
**	Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations. See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
(1)	Vesting of 4,389 performance-based restricted share units that were granted on February 25, 2015, with a vesting date of January 1, 2018. Under the terms of the grant, the number of shares to be received by the Reporting Person at vesting is increased or decreased based on the Issuer's Total Shareholder Return as compared to the Total Shareholder Return for a defined Peer Group of companies for the defined Performance Period. The determination that the performance criteria relating to the grant had been met and the calculation of the number of shares to be distributed were completed on January 18, 2018.
(2)	Includes 6,780 restricted share units that are subject to forfeiture and 1 share acquired through the reinvestment of dividends.
(3)	Forfeiture of shares for the payment of taxes upon the vesting of 4,389 performance-based restricted share units granted on 2/25/15.

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