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Luwero, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Two men accused of stealing electricity transmission cables worth Shillings 25 million, thus affecting the rural electrification project in Luwero district are in police custody.
The suspects are Brian Mwesigwa, 24, and John Ogweta, 20, both residents of Kasana, Luwero town council. Last year, the Rural Electrification Agency, (REA) contracted Larsen and Toubro Construction Company Ltd to extend power to Butuntumula, Kamira, Ziroobwe, Luwero and Kikyuusa sub-counties in Luwero district.
David Kamugisha, the project administrator reveals that they embarked on the two-year project in September last year. He explains that despite starting the project late, they expected to complete the works by December 2021. He however says that the theft of power cables is threatening their target.
He explains that the works were moving on well with the smooth erection of power transmission lines until July this year when vandals started stealing the power cables. According to Kamugisha, vandals have been removing the cables, which has affected the project. He says that they lost cables covering 4 kilometers valued at Shillings 25million, which prompted them to engage the police.
Following the complaint from the contractors, police threw dragnets to arrest the culprits. On Monday night, police intensified patrols and Brian Mwesigwa and John Ogweta were caught red-handed vandalizing the cables.
The Luwero District Police Commander-DPC Felix Mugizi, says they intercepted the suspected vandals at around 11pm in Kasiiso village, Butuntumula sub county.
According to Mugizi, to evade police arrest, the vandals jumped onto their motorcycles and sped off prompting police to block the road linking Kasiiso to Kasana and Kikyuusa to Kasana, where they intercepted the vandals.
Last week, police arrested a 17-year-old boy and man for allegedly vandalizing water meters in Luwero district thus hampering water supply by the National Water and Sewerage Corporation-NWSC.
The teenager who was found in possession of three water meters that he had packed in the bag confessed to the theft. He revealed to the police that after stealing the water meters, he takes them to James Lubwama, a scrap dealer in exchange for cash.
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