200 Electric Meters Stolen or Vandalized in Machakos County
The Machakos Department of Energy has reported that 200 electric meters belonging to public institutions within the county have either been stolen or vandalized.
This revelation came after energy officials conducted inspections following complaints from residents about frequent power outages in various areas.
According to Simon Kirima, the Machakos County Chief Officer of Energy, the department manages a total of 1,800 electrical meters across the county.
However, during the recent inspections, officials discovered that 200 of these meters had either been stolen or deliberately damaged.
Some of the stolen meters were shockingly found installed in private homes and businesses, yet the county government was unknowingly footing the electricity bills.
“We found a residential house using a county meter with a balance of Ksh205,951. Meanwhile, the county has already paid Ksh1.6 million for this meter, even though we are not using it,” Kirima revealed.
The Director of Energy, Newton Musyoka, has issued a stern warning to those illegally hoarding county meters. He has given them a seven-day deadline to voluntarily return the stolen meters or face legal action.
Musyoka further stated that county officials, in collaboration with Kenya Power, are actively tracking the stolen meters to recover them and hold the culprits accountable.
The Chief Officer of Energy has urged Machakos residents to refrain from acts of vandalism. He warned that anyone caught in possession of stolen county meters would be charged with damaging government property and stealing electricity.
Under Kenyan law, individuals found guilty of tampering with electrical infrastructure face severe penalties. Vandals could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison or fined up to Ksh5 million.
This incident comes just months after the Ministry of Energy unveiled a new three-year strategic plan aimed at improving the security of the country’s key infrastructure.
As part of this plan, the ministry announced that it would conduct regular physical inspections and deploy drones to monitor and prevent vandalism of electric infrastructure. Additionally, it plans to implement several reforms at Kenya Power to enhance its efficiency and operations.
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