The districts of Kaliro, Buyende, Kaliro, Mpigi and Kamuli have been named as currently leading in cases of vandalizing electric wires.
Assistant Commissioner of Police, Clare Nabakka has said several cases have been recorded in the named districts forcing security to intensify operations to curtail the vice.
Nabakka said four people suspected to be the ringleaders of the vandalism gang targeting ABC electric wires have been arrested and a search for others is ongoing. She cited a case in Mpigi where 200 metres belonging to UMEME were found loaded on a tricycle.
“A man was arrested at Nakirebe village, Ekiringente sub-county, in Mpigi district driving a tricycle loaded with ABC wires. A person who was approached first to transport the wires to Kampala refused. He later alerted the LC1 who intercepted the tricycle,” said ACP Nabakka.
The incident was later alerted to Nakirebe police station leading to the arrest of tricycle driver and now waiting to be arraigned in the utilities court in Kampala. Police investigations have since established that the wires were stolen from areas of Bubezi, Nabusanke and Gayaza.
“We have established that two electric poles were vandalized. The crime is too much in rural areas and people are facing power blackouts as a result of these criminal activities. Whoever we shall get vandalizing these wires will be arraigned in courts of law,” added Nabakka.
Police have also established that Kaliro locals killed one of the three people found cutting down an electric pole in order to vandalize the wires. Other suspects escaped from the charged crowd but police is searching for them.
Other incidents have happened at Mbakitonyi village, Buloba parish. UMEME’s spokesperson, Peter Kaujju, recently said the company had spent over 20 billion shillings in repairing vandalized electric wires.
Police and military acting on President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s directive conducted an operation barely a year ago leading to the arrest of 16 suspected electric wire vandals. Fred Enanga the Police spokesperson said the people carrying out the vandalism were caught with the electric wires in areas of Mukono, Lugazi, Kasangati, Kyengera and KMP South.
“The suspects included vandals and scrap dealers, who were actively involved in the malicious damage and theft of Electricity Power Lines and other utility infrastructure. These acts of theft and vandalism of utility infrastructure, leads to massive load shedding, which leads to high costs of replacement and also disrupts the well-being of domestic users and commercial businesses,” said Enanga.
Villages that have mostly been cited with high levels of vandalism of electric wires include; Kivuvu, Mukono, Nasuti, Kijude, Gayaza, Lugazi, Wakimese zone in Kyengera.
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