KENYA POWER PARTNERS WITH DCI TO CRACK DOWN VANDALISM AND ELECTRICITY THEFT

KENYA POWER PARTNERS WITH DCI TO CRACK DOWN VANDALISM AND ELECTRICITY THEFT

By Karambu Kubai

Kenya Power is in partnership with the

Directorate of Criminal Investigations

(DCI) to fight rising cases of

vandalism and to protect electricity

equipment.

Towards this, the DCI has attached 42

officers to work collaboratively with

Kenya Power’s security team and other

relevant functions to stem vandalism,

theft of electricity and fiber, as well

as illegal encroachment of wayleaves.

During the last financial year, the

Company recorded a 46% growth in cases

of transformer vandalism affecting 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. We are

confident that the partnership with

the DCI will boost our capacity to

proactively fight vandalism and other

crimes through an intelligence-led

approach,” said Kenya Power’s Managing

Director & CEO Dr. (Eng) Joseph Siror.

Beyond the loss of revenue for the

Company, vandalism and illegal power

connections expose the public to the

danger of electrocution.

Additionally, vandalism compromises the

quality of power supply and directly

affects the economy as reliable

electricity supply is crucial for

economic growth. The Company is rolling

out a public awareness campaign to

address these issues.

“The DCI will continue supporting

investigations and protecting the

energy sector against criminal

activities whenever we are called upon.

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, so

that the masterminds of these

activities are arrested and

prosecuted,” said

Paul Wachira, Deputy Director for

Investigations at the DCI.

Since July last year, a total of 1,026

people have been arrested across the

country and prosecuted for various

illegal activities within the

electricity network. Of these, 472

cases relate to vandalism, theft of

energy equipment and damage to energy

infrastructure. Illegal

connections and fraudulent consumption

of electricity account for 320 while 33

people were arrested for way leave

encroachment.