By Weswa Ronnie
KAYUNGA
Suspected former employees of UMEME are being pursued by police for stealing a transformer from Kayunga and selling it to a businessman in Namutumba.
The Kayunga district police commander, Rosette Sikahwa, reported that the newly installed transformer in Mataba village, Kayunga Sub County, was stolen on Sunday, 14th April, 2024 causing alarm among the local security forces and residents.
She says that upon tracking the suspects and the stolen transformer, it was found reinstalled in Namutumba District, where the thieves had sold it.
It has come to light that an unidentified businessman in Namutumba had paid 24 million shillings to an individual to purchase a transformer for him. However, this individual chose to steal the transformer from Mataba village and deliver it to the businessman. By the time the transformer was recovered, it had already been installed.
Sikahwa also reported that four villages in the district, including Kyanta, Bukujju, and Nalweweta in Kayunga sub-county, have been plunged into darkness after thieves stole ABC cables worth millions of shillings.
Both security and Umeme officials have attributed the rise in thefts of electricity equipment to former Umeme employees who have been laid off.
The thieves tend to target cables in remote areas and on days when the power is off. In one instance, ABC cables spanning about a kilometre were stolen in a single night.
The theft of electricity equipment has become a significant challenge in the district, prompting a call for increased vigilance among local leaders, security forces, and residents.
Currently, one individual and two lorry trucks suspected of involvement in the thefts are being held at Kayunga central police station.
A 1,000-metre roll of ABC cables is valued at 20 million shillings on the open market, according to a source at Umeme.
