A man accused of stealing and vandalizing electricity infrastructure in Western Kenya has been sentenced to six years and 10 months in prison, with the option of a fine amounting to Ksh10.2 million.
In a statement on Tuesday, April 8, Kenya Power said George Odiyo was arraigned before the Kitale Law Courts on Tuesday, April 1, facing four counts including vandalism of energy infrastructure, theft and handling of energy equipment and unauthorized electrical installation.
According to the statement, prosecutors described the suspect as a habitual offender with a record of similar crimes.
Ultimately, Odiyo pleaded guilty to all charges and for the first two counts, he received a three-year jail term for each, with an alternative fine of Ksh5 million per count.
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On the third count, involving possession of stolen energy equipment, he was sentenced to five months in jail, with an option of a Ksh100,000 fine.
The fourth charge, related to unauthorized electrical installation, earned him an additional five-month term with a similar fine alternative.
Kenya Power has welcomed the court’s ruling, describing it as a strong deterrent against acts of vandalism and theft targeting critical infrastructure.
"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. 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 effort to curb vandalism and theft of electricity through illegal connections,” Kenya Power’s Security Services Manager Maj. Geoffrey Kigen (Rtd.) said.
Kenya Power has urged members of the public to remain alert and report any suspicious activity around energy installations.
