A police officer is among five people who have been arraigned in court for the theft of materials used in the construction of Nairobi Express Way.
The officer, Thomas Odira Musasa who is attached to the Criminal Investigation Patrol Unit (CIPU) had been tasked with guarding the Express Way on Saturday.
He, however, led his other four accomplices namely Andrew Kones Ntikiya, Samuel Kariuki, Samuel Mutembei and Ephantus Mwangi in the theft.
Andrew Kones Ntikiya was a guard deployed to guard the construction site while Ephantus Mwangi was the driver of the vehicle that had been parked outside, used to transport the stolen materials.
Read: Uhuru Bans Scrap Metal Dealings Over Vandalism
According to police, the five had been caught stealing pipes from the site worth Sh275,000. When questioned where they were taking them, they failed to answer
“The pickup was parked outside site K8+500 with five pieces of the pipes already loaded in it,” the police officer who was on patrol at the area said.
The theft of materials used for the construction of the Nairobi Express Way has been rampant with relevant authorities pledging serious punishment for those found guilty.
Read Also: Nairobi Expressway To Cost Ksh2.2 Billion Per Kilometre
For instance, earlier in January, President Uhuru Kenyatta banned the sale of scrap metals in the country amid a surge in cases of vandalism.
Describing vandalism of state resources as economic sabotage, the Head of State stated that anyone found culpable will face the full force of the law.
“As of today, we will no longer allow, and we have put a moratorium on the export or the buying or selling of any scrap material until we have put in place proper guidelines that will ensure that material is not coming from the hard-won investments that the Kenyan people have made,” the Head of State said.
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