Two men arrested by boda boda riders while allegedly digging up underground electric copper cables made a u-turn and denied charges of vandalising energy infrastructure they had admitted to at the Kibera law courts.
Humphrey Ombenda Mahangili and Levis William Okwira who nearly caused a blackout in the entire Nairobi CBD and its environs on Sunday had on Monday pleaded guilty to charges of damaging manhole covers used to cover manholes where high voltage underground copper conductors are installed.
But they made claims that amounted to denying the charges after the facts of the case were read to them on Tuesday and were presumed to have denied the charges. They appeared before Senior Principal Magistrate Esther Bhoke.
The two who were found with a mattock and a hammer allegedly digging up the wires at Westpark area in Langata told Bhoke that they were walking past the manhole when they stopped to check on it before a herder alerted boda boda riders who arrested them.
They claimed they were not digging up the copper conductors. Their accomplice escaped when they were being apprehended by the boda boda riders.
The copper conductors are installed to supply electrical energy from Embakasi's main substation to the Nairobi city centre substation under the control of Kenya Power.
The duo is accused of damaging the energy infrastructure worth Sh250,000.
Vandalised energy infrastructure
They are also facing charges of handling damaged energy infrastructure materials contrary to Section 169 of the Energy Act of 2019.
They are accused of dishonestly retaining vandalised energy infrastructure materials without the consent of the Kenya Power.
The boda boda riders who apprehended them called the police who arrested them at the scene and recovered the items they were found with including the pieces of the copper cables the mattock and the hammer used to dig them out.
The court heard that such vandalism activities had caused Kenya Power a lot in terms of repair and maintenance because the cost of the materials is very high.
Mahangili and Okwira were released on a bond of Sh300,000 and an alternative cash bail of Sh200,000 each after disputing the facts of the case.
