A court in Mariakani, Mombasa, has sentenced a man found guilty of vandalising a Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) fencing post to a 10-year imprisonment without the option of a fine.
During the ruling, on Thursday, July 27, the judge also noted that the prosecution had accused the convict of daringly attempting to escape custody by jumping off the police vehicle.
Principal Magistrate Nelly Adalo found him guilty of all the charges, including vandalising the SGR property, estimated to be worth Ksh30,000.
"The suspect was found guilty of stealing four D10 metal rods, approximately 6 feet each, and approximately five kilograms of metal hooks, belonging to Kenya Railways Corporation," read part of the statement.
D10 deformed bars, also known as reinforcement steel, are used by developers to strengthen concrete.
In a statement issued by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), prosecutors emphasised that the act of vandalizing government property, particularly the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) fencing post, posed a significant threat to the safety of the commuters.
Cases of vandalism of State property have been on the rise since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, as suspects rushed to make income illegally in the scrap market. The cases spiked after the government lifted the ban on scrap metal two years later.
In one severe incident, passengers were left stranded after sections of train tracks were destroyed. According to some passengers, it took Kenya Railways about three hours to resolve the issue.
In 2022, former President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered persons culpable of vandalizing critical development infrastructure to be charged with treason.
Following the directive, the National Police Service (NPS) launched a crackdown on all the vandals alleged to have set up shops between Nairobi and Mombasa.
The Chinese Government donated three vehicles to the detectives to facilitate the operation.
Furthermore, monitoring centres were set up and fitted with CCTV cameras to monitor hotspots.
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