A senior official from Nairobi governor Johnson Sakaja's office led a night operation along the Eastern Bypass after discovering that streetlights were being systematically stripped and sold to scrap metal dealers. Rodriques Lunalo, the governor's protocol officer, noticed the destruction on Saturday, September 19, while using the Eastern Bypass. He observed vandals uprooting stalled streetlight poles and decided to spend the night in the area to assess the damage. His count revealed more than 30 lights had already been destroyed.
Lunalo visited Nairobi's commanding officer of the anti-vandalism unit and was assigned three armed officers for a night stakeout on September 20. The team parked near Kamakis, opposite Northlands Farm, from 8 pm to 1 am before beginning their patrol on foot. As they made their return along the route, they heard the sound of metal being cut. Three men were found at the scene dismembering streetlight poles into smaller pieces for easier transportation.
The officers moved to intercept the suspects, but they fled into a nearby thicket before an officer could fire three shots. Lunalo attempted to block the escape route, but the men entered a river and disappeared. The team combed the surrounding area without success. Lunalo noted that the suspects evaded four bullets fired during the pursuit. He described the incident as "totally wrong" and condemned scrap metal dealers for encouraging such behavior.
According to Lunalo, the stretch running from 75 Barracks through Utawala to Kamakis has recorded more than 100 streetlights missing, with not a single unit replaced. He claimed that the streetlights along the eastern corridor have never once been switched on since the infrastructure was installed, a claim he believes vandals are exploiting by operating under the cover of total darkness.
Lunalo described the criminal network as a sophisticated cartel, with scrap metal dealers incentivizing thugs to dismantle public infrastructure in exchange for small sums of money. He condemned the scrap dealers colluding with criminals to destroy taxpayer-funded infrastructure, warning that the resulting darkness along the highway was directly endangering the lives of road users.
Residents have demanded authorities connect the lights to the electricity supply, arguing that functional lighting would serve as the most effective deterrent against further vandalism. Lunalo stated that they would not let the vandalism continue. In a separate incident, officers from Lucky Summer and Ruaraka police stations and Kenya Power personnel arrested two suspects and recovered stolen Kenya Power electricity meters in Nairobi’s Lucky Summer area.
The arrests followed intelligence on the movement of stolen electricity infrastructure, with authorities also recovering other suspected stolen items. As investigations continued, police urged the public to report suspicious activity through toll-free lines and the DCI’s anonymous reporting channels. This incident highlights the ongoing efforts to combat vandalism and protect public infrastructure in Nairobi.
Key points
- A Nairobi official and three police officers foiled a streetlight vandalism attempt along the Eastern Bypass.
- More than 100 streetlights have been reported missing along the stretch from 75 Barracks to Utawala to Kamakis.
- Authorities have urged the public to report suspicious activity to help combat vandalism.
