Police recover stolen electric cables worth Shs3bn in Kampala

The Directorate of Crime Intelligence in close coordination with the Territorial Units in Kiboga and Old Kampala have recovered alleged stolen electric gadgets and transmission wires.

According to police spokesperson Fred Enanga, the operation was a well-coordinated one that led to a raid on  major metal businesses located in Kayiwa Zone, Rubaga division in Kampala.

The metal businesses have been dealing in suspected stolen electric gadgets that are always vandalized from different parts of the country.

“The operation followed complaints of vandalism and sabotage on the transmission lines of electricity in Kiboga District. Our task teams established that criminals climbed the electricity transmission lines and cut the transmission lines, stole surge arrests, polymeric insulators, reel insulators and other electric gadgets, thus disrupting the supply of electricity in Kiboga,” said Enanga while addressing journalists on Monday.

Having received several complaints, Enanga adds that intelligence teams tracked down the suspects up to Kayiwa zone in Rubaga and recovered an assortment of electric gadgets, metals and cable wires, worth Shs3bn.

Among those exhibited are 1460 pieces of 50mm bi-metal clamps, 3480 pieces of reel insulators, 840 pieces of polymeric insulators, 5646 pieces of 60mm PG clamps, 510 surge arresters among others. Over 80 different categories of exhibits were recovered.

So far 7 suspects have been arrested following the recovery of the vandalized electric metals and cable wires, at 10 stores in Kayiwa zone, Rubaga. These include; Semaganda Ronald, Matovu Abdul, Musoke Lawrence, Obadiah Matovu, Turyatemba Ashraf, Niwamanya Michael and MuJiri Martin.

“We would like to encourage all businesses that are dealing in scrap metal, to streamline their work methods and deal in genuine transactions. The utility company should also adopt wider measures to counter such thefts like target harden, better wire and equipment protection,” Enanga said.

The suspects are to be charged with owning suspected stolen items, malicious damage, theft and related conspiracies.

Vandalism is still big sabotage towards government projects especially projects on road and electricity. For example, the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited -UEDCL made a loss of sh25.5billion in 2019/2020 financial year due to vandalism and power theft.

According Jonan Kiiza, the UEDCL Communication Officer, in 2019/2020 they made Shs75 billion but lost sh25.5 billion to power theft, vandalism of electricity distribution infrastructure and losses incurred in the process of transmitting power.