Police in Meru, in collaboration with officials from Kenya Power Company, are working day and night to rein in transformer vandalism in Meru and Isiolo Counties.
This comes against the backdrop of a spike in transformer oil siphoning cases that have been hampering electricity supply in various areas in the two counties.
According to Kenya Power’s Mount Kenya Regional Manager, Ariel Mutegi, a security team acting on leads from analysis of data and call locations managed to nab three suspects that they have been pursuing.
The team trailed Daudi Muithi Aritho to the Timau area in Meru County, where he was arrested in the evening.
Daudi had run off from Meru town to Timau on suspicion that he was being followed and even changed his phone number.
“Upon further interrogation, Daudi revealed two of his accomplices, namely Vincent and Isaack. Efforts to reach out to Vincent were in vain as he was located at Ngong Racecourse,” said Mr. Mutegi.
However, he added, the team managed to arrest Isaack Mureith Kirema in a setup process to buy transformer oil from one of the informers.
He was arrested in Meru town at the PSV Matatu stage terminus.
Mr. Mutegi added that the two suspects are being held at the Meru Police Station awaiting prosecution.
Mr. Mutegi added that after the arrest of the two, the team proceeded to the Igoki area in Imenti North, where they conducted a raid in the house of one suspect who had been named in the oil siphoning syndicate.
They apprehended Bernard Thiuru M’mbogori in the house before he was able to escape.
“After a thorough search in his house, we recovered aluminium conductors, a Kenya Power 16mm service cable, and two rods of vandalised transformer earth rods. The suspect was also escorted to Meru police,” said Mr. Mutegi.
He said they would not relent on their efforts to arrest Vincent, who is suspected to be the mastermind behind the syndicate.
“The team will conduct further raids on the identified premises and is looking forward to stopping the siphoning menace completely.
In the same breath, the team spent the better part of the week in Isiolo County conducting such raids and obtaining information on the market for transformer oil with the help of key personnel on the ground monitoring the situation,” said Mr. Mutegi.
By Dickson Mwiti
