Police in Kitui County have arrested four suspects and impounded a lorry that was found loaded with stolen Kenya Power cables.
In a statement on Friday, September 12, the National Police Service (NPS) said he arrests were made during a patrol operation in Ikutha.
“Police officers on patrol along the Kamutei–Ndithini–Munguni Road in Ikutha Sub-County, Kitui, intercepted a Mitsubishi Canter lorry. Upon conducting a search, they discovered it was loaded with 26 Kenya Power cables and 40 clamps. They also recovered two hacksaws,” the statement read.
According to NPS, the suspects were immediately taken into custody and are expected to face charges related to vandalism and theft of critical infrastructure.
“The four suspects were arrested and escorted to Ikutha Police Station, where they were placed in custody pending arraignment in court. The motor vehicle was impounded, and the recovered exhibits secured as evidence,” the statement added.
This comes months after a man accused of stealing and vandalizing electricity infrastructure in Western Kenya was sentenced to six years and 10 months in prison, with the option of a fine amounting to Ksh10.2 million.
In a statement on Tuesday, April 8, Kenya Power said George Odiyo was arraigned before the Kitale Law Courts on Tuesday, April 1, facing four counts including vandalism of energy infrastructure, theft and handling of energy equipment and unauthorized electrical installation.
According to the statement, prosecutors described the suspect as a habitual offender with a record of similar crimes.
Ultimately, Odiyo pleaded guilty to all charges and for the first two counts, he received a three-year jail term for each, with an alternative fine of Ksh5 million per count.
On the third count, involving possession of stolen energy equipment, he was sentenced to five months in jail, with an option of a Ksh100,000 fine.
The fourth charge, related to unauthorized electrical installation, earned him an additional five-month term with a similar fine alternative.
Kenya Power welcomed the court’s ruling, describing it as a strong deterrent against acts of vandalism and theft targeting critical infrastructure.
“We welcome the court’s decision to impose stiff penalties on this individual as it sends a strong message that vandalism of critical energy infrastructure will not be tolerated. We are working closely with the relevant law enforcement agencies to weed out all illegal activities on our network.
“This ruling is a major boost toward our effort to curb vandalism and theft of electricity through illegal connections,” Kenya Power’s Security Services Manager Maj. Geoffrey Kigen (Rtd.) said.
