The Directorate of Criminal Investigations(DCI) has made arrests following the death of a 61-year old woman who was electrocuted by a neighbour's fence.
The incident occurred on Tuesday morning, September 7, when the deceased was delivering milk to her neighbours, as part of her routine.
The suspect Cleophas Nyoka had fled the crime scene upon noticing that her neighbour had been electrocuted.
Apparently, he had made illegal connections to the fence that electrocuted the deceased.
The area chief for Bungoma, Jackson Komon had confirmed the incident and identified the deceased as Emily Chekurkat.
DCI revealed that the lifeless body of Chekurkat was found by the neighbours bearing burn marks in both her hands.
“Investigations into her death revealed that Chekurkat’s neighbour Cleophas Nyoka, had unlawfully connected his barbed wire fence to electricity from his house, ostensibly to keep trespassers at bay,” DCI revealed the investigation findings.
After the suspect's arrest, the DCI revealed that Nyoka had been caught and was awaiting court trial, as the charge sheet was being prepared to see that he accounts for his actions.
Cases of illegal connections have been on the rise and this prompted Kenya Power Company to initiate an operation to curb out illegal connections at the beginning of the year.
Seventy-four per cent of electrocution fatalities nationwide were caused by unsafe public practices by making illegal connections to the transmission lines.
However, 26 per cent of the case was due to negligence and non-compliance by Kenya Power and contractors, according to findings by the Kenya power Health and Safety department.
Kenyan law stipulates a Ksh1 million fine or one-year imprisonment for individuals caught guilty of having illegal connections and electricity theft.
