• DCI boss George Kinoti last week directed detectives from the Serious Crime Unit to question senior officials charged with securing high voltage lines
• They were summoned to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters on Kiambu Road, where they were questioned
Image: HANDOUT
Ten senior officials at Kenya Power on Tuesday were arrested in a probe into claims of sabotage that caused a blackout in most parts of the country last week.
They include the general manager in charge of network and are expected in court on Wednesday for miscellaneous applications.
They were summoned to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters on Kiambu Road, where they were questioned and later driven to Muthaiga police cells ahead of arraignment.
DCI boss George Kinoti last week directed detectives from the Serious Crime Unit to question senior officials charged with securing high voltage lines and transmission from the national grid.
Investigations have revealed that a joint task force by Kenya Power and the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company had on December 8 furnished the board with a report that, among other things, recommended that the basement of angle towers of Kenya Power’s high voltage power lines in Embakasi had been vandalised and the cross-beams unbolted.
The probe established that a few days after Eng Rosemary Oduor was appointed the managing director, she wrote to the board indicating that some materials had to be bought for the maintenance of the power lines.
“The board was again informed on December 8, but no action was taken. Had action been taken, there would not have been the collapse,” a senior detective aware of the probe said.
The information was, however, ignored, leading to the collapse that caused a major outage.
“The angle towers had been vandalised and bracings could not support the weight of the conductors, which are very heavy. Other towers failed to sustain the weight and also caved in,” the DCI said.
Despite the site having been classified as a ‘red spot’ that required full time surveillance, there were no patrols in the area, leading to the theft.
The theft was reported at the ICD police post and photos of the vandalised towers were shared with Kenya Power management.
On Monday, detectives raided Stima Plaza and carted away computers and other documentation to retrieve internal communication to establish reports that there was prior communication about the vandalism.
Among the officials who have been grilled include the chief engineer, network management officials and chief security officer. Others include Eng George Korir, David Mutiso, Julius Mwaniki of transmission, security officer Geoffrey Kigen, and a Mr Kithusia.
Police said six towers along the Olkaria-Kisumu power line were also vandalised in Naivasha on Tuesday.
Energy PS Gordon Kihalangwa yesterday toured the affected parts.
Preliminary investigations also point to sabotage, with the Naivasha incident coming a week after the Kiambere-Embakasi line at Imara Daima.
And following the January 11 incident, President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered an immediate probe and action into the said sabotage.
Interior CS Fred Matiang'i led a high-level meeting for two consecutive days to unravel details over the incident that has been described as a threat to national security and economic sabotage.