Kenya Power, DCI team up to fight vandalism and electricity theft

 

The Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) has attached 42 officers to work hand in hand with Kenya Power in fighting the rising cases of vandalism and protecting electricity equipment.

Kenya Power Managing Director Dr Joseph Siror said the firm has recorded a 46pc rise in cases of transformer vandalism in the last financial year which has affected 242 transformers compared to 165 units that were vandalized during the previous year.

“We have witnessed a recent surge in cases of vandalism and illegal connections across the country leading to unplanned power outages that inconvenience our customers. The Company is working with various security agencies, including collaboration with the DCI, to tackle these illegal activities and are confident that this will boost our capacity to proactively fight vandalism and other crimes through an intelligence-led approach,” said Dr Siror.

Kenya Power said besides the company losing revenue, vandalism and illegal power connection exposes the public to dangers of electrocution.

It also compromises the quality of power supply and directly affects the economy as reliable electricity supply is crucial for the growth of the economy.

“The DCI will continue supporting investigations and protecting the energy sector against criminal activities through partnerships such as the one we now have with Kenya Power, we will work collaboratively for purposes of following the money trail, especially among those handling stolen copper and oil from vandalized transformers and ensure the masterminds of these activities are arrested and prosecuted,” said Paul Wachira, Deputy Director for Investigations at the DCI.

472 cases relating to vandalism, theft of energy equipment and damage to energy infrastructure have been reported since last year July.

Illegal connections and fraudulent consumption of electricity account for 320 while 33 people were arrested for way leave encroachment.

BY SALLY NAMUYE