Kisumu: Two arrested over theft of electricity equipment worth Ksh.3M

Two men linked to the theft of electricity infrastructure in the Manyatta Kona Maji area of Kisumu County have been arrested.

Stephen Bala Magak and Frederick Odhiambo Owino are accused of receiving stolen energy infrastructure from vandals in the region before reselling it to people who connect electricity illegally.

According to Kenya Power, the recovered equipment, valued at Ksh.3 million, included six steady bars, one cross arm, three rolls of stay wire measuring approximately 100 metres, 146 shackle insulators and about 20 metres of HT aluminium conductors and 23 rolls of LV aluminium conductors of approximately 1,000 metres, among others.

“The two suspects are already in custody… We call upon members of the public to work with us in reporting and safeguarding the same infrastructure that powers their businesses and lives,” the power utility’s security services manager, Geoffrey Kigen, said in a Tuesday statement.

Kigen noted that the Western Kenya region and Kisumu County have been experiencing power issues, some stemming from vandalism and, in some instances, illegal connections.