Three suspects were arrested and vandalized Kenya Power equipment estimated to be worth millions of shillings recovered, after a Directorate of Criminal Investigations-led sting operation in Juja, Kiambu County.
Two of the suspects, Johana Thuku and Stephen Githitu, were arrested after detectives raided a scrap metal yard in Juja’s Matangi area.
Several vandalized Kenya Power transformers, rolls of aluminum conductors and assorted materials belonging to the power manufacturer were recovered.
The duo was later arraigned in court and charged with vandalism and handling stolen infrastructure equipment.
The third suspect, Patrick King’ori, was arrested on Thursday evening as he attempted to evade the DCI dragnet; a manhunt is still underway for more suspects believed to be part of the vandalism syndicate.
The operation comes barely a month after President Uhuru Kenyatta banned scrap metal business owing to rising cases of vandalism targeting key infrastructure enablers at Kenya Power.
Between December 4, 2021 and January 11, 2022, the country experienced three major power outages caused by collapsed power transmission lines.
Subsequent reports would later show that the power outages were as a result of vandalism on critical power infrastructure on the national grid.