Government warns vandals: Sh5 million fines or 10-year jail for power infrastructure sabotage
The Ministry has proposed tougher penalties, including fines of up to Sh5 million or imprisonment of up to 10 years, for anyone found guilty of vandalising the electricity network.
Electricity infrastructure vandals have been put on notice with Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi warning that the government will not tolerate acts of sabotage targeting national power projects meant to light up rural communities.
The Ministry has proposed tougher penalties, including fines of up to Sh5 million or imprisonment of up to 10 years, for anyone found guilty of vandalising the electricity network.
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Speaking in Sirisia and Kanduyi constituencies, Wandayi emphasised that such illegal activities harm the quality of energy supply and undermine the country’s economic growth.
“Illegal activities on the electricity network not only compromise the quality of energy supply but also jeopardise the country's economic growth. The government is committed to ensuring every region gets power,” he said.
He urged residents to protect electricity installations in their areas and report any suspicious behaviour or vandalism to authorities promptly.
The CS highlighted that Sh1.8 billion had been allocated in the last financial year to fund rural electrification projects in Bungoma County.
The warning follows a recent court ruling in Kitale, where a man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for vandalising and stealing power equipment belonging to Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC).
Joel Nyongesa was convicted by Kitale Chief Magistrate Samuel Mokua after pleading guilty to three counts under the Energy Act No. 1 of 2019. His co-accused, Charles Luchivia, who pleaded not guilty, will face trial starting November 5, 2025.
Court records show Nyongesa and Luchivia were arrested on September 17, 2025, in Matunda and Chemororoch in the North Rift following investigations by Kitale Police Station and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).
The prosecution, led by Nancy Omari Nuaimi (PCI), stated that between August 20 and 24, 2025, the accused, along with others still at large, vandalised three transformers, serial numbers 88084, 2902, and ST2061216, worth Sh5 million. They were also accused of stealing copper windings and transformer oil valued at Sh900,000, and Nyongesa faced an additional charge for attempted vandalism of another transformer worth Sh2 million on August 17, 2025.
“This conviction sends a clear message to those who target national energy infrastructure—such crimes will not go unpunished,” Alfred Seroney, a KPLC witness in the case, said.
Chief Magistrate Mokua noted that transformer vandalism causes significant financial losses and disrupts electricity supply to homes, schools and hospitals. Nyongesa received three separate 10-year terms, one for vandalism, one for theft and one for attempted vandalism, ordered to run concurrently.
He was granted 14 days to appeal the ruling.
Kenya Power officials and ODPP investigators hailed the conviction as a major step in curbing theft and destruction of energy infrastructure, noting that millions of shillings are lost annually to such crimes.
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