Kisii Deputy Governor Dr. Robert Monda has raised concern over increased cases of vandalism of electricity installations in Kisii County.

Speaking during the launch of the customer service week, Dr. Monda regretted that the County was leading in vandalism and illegal connections and called on the Kenya Power officers to take stiff action to avert such cases.

He lamented that many people have been electrocuted and property worth millions of shillings lost due to the illegal connections and vandalism.

The Deputy Governor who represented Governor Simba Arati called on members of the public to work hand in hand with security agents and Kenya Power officials to report suspected vandalism cases adding that many business people in the county lose thousands of shillings daily as a result.

He called for a heavy penalty if found guilty saying vandalism of electrical equipment is an economic crime in Kenya.

Speaking during the occasion, the county Business Manager Mathew Muthini who represented a team of the Kenya Power staff in various department including Business Development, Design and construction, Operations and maintenance, Commercial Services and Sales, Debt Control, Customer Experience and logistics observed that out of 1.2 million people in Kisii only 150, 000 people are connected to electricity.

He pointed out vandalism of distribution lines, streeting conductors and equipment, illegal lines, wayleave infringement, interference of existing lines by road contactors and evasion of payment as main challenges facing the company. 

The Business Manager called for continued close partnership with their customers and more so the County Government and other National Government agencies as they strive towards 100 per cent access rate in Kisii County.