Police in Kisumu have arrested six suspects and recovered 14 drums of Kenya Power aluminium conductors worth Sh7 million.
The joint operation by officers from Kondele Police Station and those attached to KPLC also saw nine rolls of binding wires worth Sh500,000 and seven earth rods recovered.
The materials were recovered while being loaded unto a lorry in a compound at Carwash area near Marende estate for ferrying to Nyamasaria.
KPLC Western Kenya region Chief Security officer Bernard Ambaka said the materials were stolen from their yard in carwash.
The suspects are being held at Kondele Police Station awaiting arraingment in court on Monday, April 15.
Two of the suspects were arrested on Friday night with the stolen materials during the operation led by Kondele police station OCS Dancun Ogechi.
Four others were arrested on Saturday morning following a tip off from members of the public.
Ambaka said 108 drums of aluminium bacles worth Sh54 million had also been stolen from the yard.
There were a total of 311 rolls of aluminium conductors, he said.
The aluminum conductors are used to construct low voltage lines to connect customers to the grid.
"We have various contracts which are ongoing in the country for Kenya Power and the most popular one is the Last Mile Project, which is supplying power to rural areas at a very affordable cost," he said.
The programme is supported by the government with Kenya Power as the implementer of the projects.
In Western, KPLC has several ongoing projects.
Ambaka, however, said they have been experiencing spiraling proliferation of illegal lines in the region.
Last month, KPLC made a report at Kondele Police Station after more than 30 aluminium conductors were stolen.
Police have launched investigations to establish where aluminium conductors and other materials previously stolen were being taken to.
"This is great loss to the company because look at the effects of the drums being meant to supply customers, end up on illegal lines which are not safe and which have not been paid for," Ambaka said.
He commended the public for providing information which led to the arrest and recovery.
Ambaka said they wil move to court to have the materials back to Kenya Power.
"It would be a great benefit to our company so that we have good materials to supply our customers," he said.
