The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has welcomed the sentencing of a man convicted of vandalizing road infrastructure along the Mombasa-Mariakani Highway.
In a statement on Friday, July 31, the authority said the case involved a suspect identified as Fredrick Rakoro, who was arrested earlier this week by officers from the Axle Load Enforcement Highway Unit (ALEHU) in the Coast Region.
"This week, the courts dispensed with a case involving one Fredrick Rakoro, who was arrested earlier in the week by the Axle Load Enforcement Highway Unit (ALEHU), Coast Region," the statement read.
According to KeNHA, investigations established that the convict had been vandalizing drainage infrastructure and removing reinforcement bars from a newly constructed section of the Mombasa-Mariakani (A8) Highway near Jomvu.
"The convict was vandalizing drainage infrastructure and removing reinforcement bars from a newly constructed section of the Mombasa-Mariakani (A8) Highway near Jomvu," the statement added.
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Rakoro was later arraigned before the Mombasa Law Courts, where he pleaded guilty to the offence under Section 24 of the Scrap Metal Act, 2015 (Act No. 1 of 2015).
The court sentenced him to two years' imprisonment at Shimo La Tewa Prison without the option of a fine.
KeNHA condemned the destruction and theft of road infrastructure, warning that such acts waste public resources, put motorists at risk, and weaken the country's transport network.
"KeNHA strongly condemns all acts of vandalism and theft of road infrastructure which, not only, undermines public investment but also endangers the safety of road users as well as compromises the integrity of the national road network," the statement further read.
KeNHA also appealed to members of the public to help protect road infrastructure by reporting incidents of vandalism and theft involving road assets to the relevant authorities.
"The Authority urges members of the public to safeguard public infrastructure and promptly report incidents of vandalism or theft involving road signs, guardrails, drainage structures, manhole covers, road studs, reinforcement bars, streetlights, and other road assets," the statement concluded.
Elsewhere, this comes days after KeNHA cautioned members of the public against fraudsters circulating fake employment contract letters purportedly issued by the authority.
In a notice, KeNHA clarified that the fake letters did not originate from the authority, explaining that employment and contract award letters are issued only to successful applicants through its official communication channels
"The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) wishes to alert members of the public that fraudsters are circulating fake employment contract letters falsely claiming to have been issued by the Authority.
"KeNHA wishes to clarify that these documents are fraudulent and did not originate from the Authority," read the statement in part.
The authority urged Kenyans always to verify the authenticity of any employment-related communication.
"Members of the public are advised to treat any suspicious employment-related communication with caution and verify its authenticity directly with the Authority before taking any action," KeNHA stated.
KeNHA called on members of the public to disregard any suspicious employment letters, offers or contracts purporting to originate from KeNHA.
It also warned job seekers never to make any payments in exchange for employment opportunities or recruitment services, noting that genuine recruitment processes do not require applicants to pay fees.
