Kenya Power, in collaboration with law enforcement, arrested three suspects on Saturday night after they were caught vandalizing high-voltage underground electricity cables near Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi.
Shockingly, one of the suspects, Dennis Mbithi Nzioki, is a police officer attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Makadara.
The three, Nzioki, Thomas Mutua, and Joseph Kyalo, were part of a group of ten armed with crude tools. Authorities say the gang was tampering with 66kV underground cables, which serve as the main power supply to Ragati and Nairobi West substations.
These substations provide electricity to critical areas including Kenyatta National Hospital, Upper Hill, South C, Nairobi West, Madaraka, South B, Industrial Area, and parts of Lang’ata Road and Ngumo estate.
The power lines also serve as backup for electricity supply to Nairobi’s Central Business District and its surrounding areas. Their vandalism, therefore, jeopardized not just primary power flow but also emergency redundancy systems.
During the arrest, Kenya Power’s security team recovered five meters of already-cut cable and seized tools including four hoes, two spades, and two hacksaws. 
The suspects are now being held at Capitol Hill Police Station, while the remaining seven managed to flee the scene.
Kenya Power Managing Director & CEO Dr. (Eng.) Joseph Siror praised the swift action taken by the security team. He emphasized the company’s commitment to increasing surveillance to prevent vandalism, which he said poses a threat to public safety and business continuity.
“Apart from posing the danger of electrocution, vandalism affects businesses and households through power outages and results in financial losses to the Company in terms of lost electricity sales and the cost of replacement of the vandalized equipment.” said Dr. Siror.
He urged the public to report suspicious activity near power infrastructure via *977# or to the nearest police station.
