Two Suspects Arrested Over Ksh3m KPLC Equipment Theft in Kisumu

• Sep 23, 2025

Police in Kisumu have arrested two suspects linked to the theft of Kenya Power equipment valued at Ksh3 million. The incident occurred in the Manyatta Kona Maji area, where the suspects are believed to have received stolen energy infrastructure from vandals before selling it to people carrying out illegal electricity connections.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, September 23, the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) confirmed the arrest. The stolen items included steady bars, crossarm channels, rolls of stay wire, shackle insulators, aluminium conductors, stay plates, KPLC danger plates, bolts, and cables, among other equipment critical to electricity distribution.

“The Kenya Power security team, working in close collaboration with law enforcement agencies, has arrested two suspects linked to the theft of electricity infrastructure in the Manyatta Kona Area of Kisumu County,” the company said in its statement.

KPLC’s security service manager, Geoffrey Kigen, highlighted that vandalism of energy infrastructure remains a recurring problem in the region, often leading to power disruptions that affect homes, businesses, and public services. He emphasised that KPLC will continue to work with security agencies to track down and arrest individuals sabotaging the electricity network.

Kigen further urged members of the public to play their part by reporting any suspicious activities involving electricity infrastructure to the nearest Kenya Power offices. He warned that tampering with the electricity network is a serious crime with severe penalties. Under the Energy Act 2018, offenders risk a fine of Ksh5 million or a five-year jail term.

“The two suspects are already in custody, and this operation is a testament to our commitment to weed out all the persons who are involved in illegal activities within the network,” Kigen said. “We thank the law enforcers for the support they have given us in our fight against criminal activities compromising the stability of the power supply and endangering lives.”

This arrest comes just months after a man in the western region was sentenced to six years in jail or fined Ksh10.2 million by the Kitale Law Courts for vandalising electricity infrastructure. The repeat offender pleaded guilty to charges including theft, vandalism, handling stolen energy equipment, and carrying out unauthorised electrical installations.