Residents of Bogiakumu Ward, Bonchari constituency in Kisii County are in darkness after thieves stole Kenya Power transformer in the area on Saturday, leaving them in shock and helpless.
Elijah Nyamweya, a villager said the thieves vandalized the transformer near Bogiakumu secondary school and appealed to locals to report to police anybody found selling the stolen parts.
He appealed to members of community policing to be vigilant and liaise with villagers for information that may lead to the arrest of the suspects and hand them over to the police.
“I appeal to Kenya Power to replace the transformer to ease the suffering of the local people,” Nyamweya noted.
When K24 Digital contacted, area Ward Representative Ismael Bosire, the legislator condemned the theft and appealed to residents to be wary of people selling the transformers’ spare parts and those making illegal electrical connections in the area.
The Member of County Assembly said it was wrong for people to vandalize the transformers and plunge residents into darkness, saying it had affected the lives and livelihoods of people in the area.
“Residents rely on power to do business and lighting at their homes. I urge security officers to be patrolling the area to apprehend the thieves,” Bosire said.
In April, the Company’s Safety, Health and Environment Manager, John Guda said 345 people died in the last four years across the country due to illegal electrical connections.
The Manager, who addressed stakeholders during a sensitization workshop for national government administrative officers at Kisii National polytechnic, appealed to residents to shun hiring quacks to connect electrical power for them.
He urged the residents to contact the company’s qualified staff to connect them to power, saying the workers have the Company’s Identity Cards and that KPLC will not be responsible for deaths related to illegal connections.
Guda stated that some bogus contractors duped residents and used the company’s stolen wires and other equipment to connect power to unsuspecting consumers, only for the company to disconnect the power and force them to follow the right channel to be connected to electricity.
