Kenya Power loses Sh20 million to vandals

THE Kenya Power and Lighting Company has lost Sh21 million to vandalism of transformers in the Mt Kenya South region in a year. Deputy regional Manager Kennedy Chege said 70 transformers were vandalised, severely affecting service delivery to customers in the region. Each transformer costs Sh300,000.

Addressing provincial administrators in Gatundu and Gatundu North districts yesterday, Chege said: ''The amount does not include money lost due to theft of transmission cables, which is in terms of hundreds of thousands of shillings.'' ''Concerted efforts are required to arrest the situation, which has led to huge losses by the company and denied consumers services,'' said Chege.

The meeting was called to look into ways of reducing or eradicating the vice and how the public can help in dealing with it. Chege said the ban on copper exports is a move in the right direction, adding that the company is lobbying to have punitive sentences imposed the vandals. Gatundu DC Julius Ngumo and his Gatundu North counterpart, Daniel Nyameti, emphasised on the importance of educating the public on how to appreciate transformers as public assets in which they have a stake.

Describing transformer vandalism as the worst kind of economic sabotage, he said Kenya Power is looking into ways of using colored oil in its transformers and also to gazette it for easy identification since it is also attracting vandalizes. Gatundu DC Julius Ngumo and his Gatundu North counterpart Daniel Nyameti, put emphasis on the importance of educating members of the public to treat and look at the transformers as public assets and to cooperate with security agents and Kenya Power officials in reporting cases of vandalism.

Nyameti said the vandalism has caused a lot of destruction and interruption of essential services. He assured Kenya Power that security personnel will be engaged to ensure that the facilities get maximum protection.