KPLC vandalism suspects arrested

Detectives have nabbed two people suspected of vandalizing Kenya Power & Lighting (KPLC) infrastructure. Those arrested are Thomas Anasi, 38, a former line technician at the country’s electricity distribution company and Joseph Kagwi, 36, a multi-million unscrupulous businessman based in Thika. According to Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the duo was arrested in connection with the disappearance of electricity cables and other materials meant for a rural electrification project in Wundanyi, Taita Taveta County. Before their disappearance, the materials worth millions of shillings were at a site in Kushe area, where the government was in the process of connecting locals to the national grid. DCI said that the two are well connected to insiders at KPLC and masterminded the disappearance of wires, rods, conductors, and other equipment meant for the project, on January 28, 2022. “The highly organized syndicate comprising of technicians and engineers, targets electricity connection sites & power lines and has been responsible for plunging parts of the country to darkness,” said the DCI. In this case, the masterminds of the syndicate are said to have deployed a crane truck that loaded and ferried the materials from the site to a yard in Nairobi, leaving residents who were expecting to have their villages connected to power highly disappointed. In an operation conducted by sleuths from the elite Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau, Anasi was arrested in Kayole while Kagwi was seized in Thika. Preliminary investigations have revealed that Kagwi is well connected to engineers and technicians working at KPLC, who provide him with information on the sites where electricity connection is ongoing before the equipment disappears. Following the operation, the crane truck used to load and ferry the materials was impounded and it is currently detained at Kayole Police Station.