NDHIWA, Kenya — Two men have been sentenced to 10 years in prison or an alternative fine of Sh5 million each for vandalising electricity infrastructure in Homabay County, as Kenya Power ramps up its nationwide crackdown on crimes targeting the energy network.
In a statement issued on Friday, Kenya Power said Godwin Omondi Oduogi was convicted by the Ndhiwa Senior Principal Magistrate’s Court for unlawfully disconnecting a customer’s power supply and handling vandalised electricity equipment.
Oduogi, arrested in April 2025 by Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officers in Ndhiwa, was also found with a transformer fuse during a joint investigation by Kenya Power security teams and detectives.
Despite pleading not guilty, the court ruled that the evidence presented was sufficient to secure a conviction.
In a separate case, the same court handed a similar sentence to David Ochieng Lang’o, who was arrested in July 2025 after he was found with 10 jerricans of oil suspected to have been siphoned from vandalised transformers.
His arrest followed a joint operation involving Kenya Power–attached officers and Migori Police Station personnel.
The court, while delivering both judgments, raised concerns about the increasing cases of vandalism and power disruptions in Ndhiwa Sub-County, noting that the criminal activity has significantly affected households and local businesses.
Kenya Power Security Services Manager Major Geoffrey Kigen (Rtd) welcomed the ruling, saying it strengthens ongoing efforts to safeguard the national electricity network.
“This ruling continues to reinforce our commitment to safeguarding power infrastructure serving our people. As Kenya Power, we thank the Judiciary and law enforcement agencies for their continued support in ensuring that justice is served,” Kigen said.
He urged the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity involving power lines and equipment.
“These convictions bring to the fore our ask to the public that they should report any suspicious activities on electricity installations. When vandalism occurs, it affects our livelihoods and the safety of our communities,” he added.
The developments come as the utility company continues to battle organised vandalism rings across the country. In a related June 2025 incident, three suspects — including a police officer — were arrested while vandalising high-voltage underground cables near Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi.
The cables are a critical supply route to Ragati and Nairobi West substations, which power Upper Hill, Kenyatta National Hospital, South C, Nairobi West, parts of South B, Industrial Area, Lang’ata Road, Ngumo estate, Mbagathi Hospital, and KEMRI.
The vandalism also compromised redundancy for the Nairobi City Centre grid, escalating the potential risk of widespread outages.
The three arrested — Thomas Mutua, Joseph Kyalo, and DCI officer Dennis Mbithi Nzioki — were part of a 10-member group armed with crude weapons. They were apprehended as the others fled, with police recovering five metres of already-cut 66kV cable, hoes, spades, and hacksaws.
Kenya Power Managing Director and CEO Dr (Eng.) Joseph Siror condemned the incident, warning that attacks on critical energy assets endanger public safety and undermine national development.
“Vandalism poses a serious risk to public safety while disrupting electricity supply to homes and businesses. We will continue to work collaboratively with the public and law enforcement agencies to ensure perpetrators face the law,” Siror said.
Kenya Power has intensified surveillance, patrols and community engagement as it moves to curb the rising cases of transformer theft, cable cuts and illegal connections that cost the utility billions of shillings annually.
