A transformer put up in the Mwai Kibaki's home was vandalised just days after the burial of the former head of state.
According to the Kenya Power distribution engineer in Othaya, Benjamin Onsomo, the electricity supply was cut off in the area at around 11 pm on Tuesday.
The transformer pole was erected around 50 metres away from the former president’s homestead. On Tuesday, May 3, the vandals destroyed the transformer and stole its component parts.
A tea plantation that sits a few metres from Kibaki’s homestead is suspected to have served as a hiding ground for the thieves.
The power transformer that serves late President Mwai Kibaki’s residence and the neighbouring homes in Kanyange Village, Othaya Sub-County in Nyeri County was vandalised three days after his burial on April 30.
It remains a mystery how the thugs vandalised the facility, yet Kibaki’s homestead was under round the clock guard by the elite Recce Squad officers.
Vandalism of electrical equipment is considered an economic crime according to the Energy Act and suspects are liable to pay a minimum fine of Sh5 million or a minimum jail term of 10 years if convicted.
In January 2022 President Uhuru banned, with immediate effect, trade in scrap metal, directing that anyone found vandalising national infrastructure will be deemed to have committed economic sabotage, which is a treasonable offence.
At the same time, President Kenyatta said that the government will be working on guidelines to regulate the scrap metal business, adding that until that is done, there will be no buying or selling of the scrap in the country.
“As of today, we have put a moratorium on any scrap material until we have put in place proper guidelines that will ensure that that material is not coming from the investment that the Kenyan people have made.”
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