Two men in Homa Bay County have been sentenced to 10 years in prison each or fined Ksh.5 million after being found guilty of vandalizing electricity infrastructure and interfering with Kenya’s power supply system.
The Ndhiwa Senior Principal Magistrate’s Court delivered the ruling on Friday against David Ochieng Lang’o and Godwin Omondi Oduogi, following months of investigations by Kenya Power and law enforcement agencies.
According to Kenya Power, Ochieng was arrested in July 2025 during a joint operation involving Kenya Power security officers and police officers from Migori. He was caught with 10 jerrycans of oil suspected to have been siphoned from vandalised transformers.
Omondi, on the other hand, was arrested in April 2025 by officers from the Ndhiwa Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). He was accused of unlawfully disconnecting a customer and was later found with a transformer fuse, linking him to destruction of power installations.
Despite denying the charges, both suspects were convicted based on evidence gathered through joint investigations.
The court noted that vandalism of electricity equipment has led to frequent power outages in Ndhiwa sub-county, affecting homes, schools, hospitals, and local businesses. Residents have been expressing frustration over the repeated blackouts caused by criminals targeting power infrastructure.
Kenya Power’s Security Services Manager, Major Geoffrey Kigen, welcomed the court’s decision. He described it as a major win for consumers and businesses that suffer losses when power lines and transformers are damaged.
“We thank the Judiciary and law enforcement agencies for ensuring justice is served,” he said. “We continue to urge the public to report any suspicious activities around electricity installations, because vandalism disrupts livelihoods and puts communities at risk.”
The ruling is part of a broader national effort to combat vandalism, which has cost Kenya Power millions of shillings in repairs and replacements.
The company says stronger cooperation between the public, police, and the courts is crucial to stopping the crime.
