Mwea residents blame Kenya Power as night thieves terrorise their farms

By , K24 Digital
On Tue, 5 Jul, 2022 19:33 | < 1 min read
Kenya Power headquarters. PHOTO/PD/Library
Kenya Power headquarters. PHOTO/PD/Library

Residents of Kîarîga village in Mwea sub-county have raised concern over the rise of insecurity in the agricultural-rich section of Kirinyaga County.

According to the area residents, suspected thieves have been terrorising the villagers for a long time, stealing livestock and harvesting Miraa from the farms.

They claim that the thieves walk into their farms and simply harvest any farm produce and leave without notice.

"Our livestock is being stolen every now and then. They harvest our farm produce at night. You cannot walk out to check the thieves during the night because it is risky. There are no lights," Rose Ndubi, a resident, said.

They have, however, linked the rise in insecurity to a lack of power supply and, are now calling on Kenya Power to intervene and connect the village to the national grid.

Kenya Power blamed

They say that it is ironic that they have a Kenya Power substation built in the village yet they cannot access power.

There are also electricity posts erected and a fixed transformer which locals claim at least five years have passed since it was installed.

"This is like an island of darkness. After nightfall, we are at the mercy of God and thieves," Danson Murango said.

He says that they were very optimistic that Kenya Power would connect them to electricity after building the substation in the village, but their expectations have been dimmed.

"They (Kenya Power) told us that we'll benefit following the construction and completion of the project. It's now over five years and still, there is nothing to smile about," Murango said.

However, Kenya Power, through Kirinyaga County Director Kipkorir Ruto, said they were looking into the matter to determine the next cause of action.

Related Topics