A 28-year-old man has been jailed for five years for vandalising a power transmission line in Makueni County.
The man, Robert Mambo Mutinda pleaded guilty to the offense before Tawa Law Courts.
He was arrested on November 2, 2023, by the utility firm’s security team and officers from Mbooni Police Station after he was found vandalising the power line at the Mbooni West Sub County Hospital Junction in Makueni County.
This comes moments after a scrap metal dealer was arrested in the Industrial area in Nairobi on Tuesday, November 28, 2023.
“The team also recovered assorted Kenya Power electricity materials weighing 1,020 kgs from the man’s scrapyard. The items included assorted copper, transformer windings, earthings, and lugs,” Kenya Power said in a statement.
Kenya Power Security Manager
The incident was confirmed by the utility firm’s Acting Security Manager Stephen Muoka who said in the last two weeks, the Company has lost five transformers through vandalism between Ruai and Tala along Kangundo Road.
He said some of the recovered materials were fresh copper windings suspected to have been removed from a vandalised transformer at Ruai on Sunday night.
“Vandalism is a serious crime under the Energy Act 2019, and those found guilty can either be jailed, fined or face both punishments,” Muoka said.
Muoka has urged members of the public to report cases of vandalism and electricity theft even as the company upscales its fight against the vices.
He also urged scrap metal dealers to avoid trading in vandalised materials.
“We are working with law enforcement agencies to get rid of vandals and protect our infrastructure so as to ensure the Company continues to supply customers with power,” Muoka said.
“Vandalism causes unplanned outages thereby inconveniencing customers. It also poses a risk to human and animal lives as vandals leave power infrastructure exposed, leading to a possibility of electrocution.”
