A man was sentenced to two years in prison or paid a fine of up to ksh 200,000 for selling potato chips cooked using transformer oil.

Elijah Mwangi Muthoga owns a hotel at Ol Kalou trading centre and was arrested in December of 2021 while possessing 11 litres of transformer oil in the kitchen of his hotel.

 According to court documents, the transformer oil used to cook chips was repackaged as popcorn cooking oil. Mwangi was charged with obtaining transformer oil from Zachary Mwangi Gitau. Gitau was sentenced to a ten-year prison term or a fine of KShs. Ten million for vandalising a 100kva transformer in violation of Section 169 (1) of the Energy Act of 2019.

PHOTO | COURTESY fries

Kenya Power and lightning company welcomed the court decision in a statement on Friday, calling it a boost to the company's efforts to combat transformer vandalism. "This ruling is a big boost to the Company's effort to fight transformer vandalism as the stiff penalties and jail terms will deter vandals," said Kenya Power's Ag. Manager for Security Services Maj. Paul Nyaga (Rtd).

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"In addition to undermining the quality and reliability of the electricity supply, transformer vandalism poses a risk of electrocution and exposes the Company to financial losses in lost sales and the cost of replacing the transformers," said Kenya Power.

In other news, a man has been arrested in kirinyaga county, accused of killing his lover and burying her in a shallow grave under his bed in the house the lovers shared.

Mwea-west Sub-county Deputy Police Commander Sammy Beauttah confirmed the incident in Mwea East and said that the body of the deceased, Joyce Nginya, 44, was discovered while the incident that happened on Sunday.

"The matter was reported by the family members at Kiamaciri police station and after visiting the house we found the victim's body... Joyce Nginya was buried in a shallow grave and that was when we started the process of exhuming the body after a court order from Baricho law court," said the police boss.