Kenya: Kitale Court Sentences Serial Power Equipment Vandal To 6 Years And 10 Month In Jail

A Kenyan court has sentenced a man linked to multiple incidents of vandalism and theft of electricity infrastructure in Western Kenya to six (6) years and ten (10) months in jail, or a fine of KShs. 10.2 million (equivalent of $ 78,764.48), after pleading guilty to four charges under the Energy Act.

The convict, George Odiyo, was charged before Kitale Law Courts on April 1, 2025, with four offenses, including vandalism of energy infrastructure, stealing energy equipment, handling stolen energy equipment, and carrying out electrical installation work without authority.

Mr. Odiyo, described by prosecutors as a habitual offender with previous convictions for similar offenses, pleaded guilty to all the charges.

For each of the first two counts of vandalism of energy infrastructure and stealing energy equipment, he received a 3-year jail term, or a fine of KShs. 5 million( equivalent of $38,674.12).

On the third count, where he was accused of handling stolen energy equipment, he was sentenced to five months in prison, or a fine of KShs. 100,000($773.48 ).

On the fourth count, Mr. Odiyo was accused of carrying out electrical installation works without authority. For this, he received a five-month jail term, or a fine of KShs. 100,000.

“We welcome the court’s decision to impose stiff penalties on this individual, as it sends a strong message that vandalism of critical energy infrastructure will not be tolerated,” said Maj. Geoffrey Kigen (Rtd.), Kenya Power’s Security Services Manager. “We are working closely with the relevant law enforcement agencies to weed out all illegal activities on our network. This ruling is a major boost toward our efforts to curb vandalism and theft of electricity through illegal connections.”

The energy infrastructure has been a frequent target of vandals and criminals, resulting in widespread power outages, disruptions to essential services, and substantial financial losses due to the cost of replacing vandalized infrastructure and lost electricity sales.

The Company urges members of the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities around energy installations to the police or at any of its offices located across the country.

Source: https://energynewsafrica.com