Police officers in Mwanzo estate on the outskirts of Eldoret town have arrested a man suspected to be among a gang that has been vandalizing ELDOWAS water meters.
The man was arrested on Saturday, November 12, 2022.
Mwanzo village elder Walter Ayoti says the suspect was among four people caught stealing the water metres on Friday night.
“He had 12 water metres in his bag,” said Ayoti.
According to the village elder, the man who has been placed in custody at the Huruma Police station was in the company of three others.
The three however managed to escape.
The village elder said the suspect and his accomplices have been targeting water metres within Kapsuswa, Kamanda and Mwanzo estates where cases of theft of the gadgets have been on the rise in recent days.
Turbo Sub County Deputy Police Commander Christopher Wesonga confirmed the arrest of the suspect even as the hunt for the three that escaped continued.
Huge water loss
The arrest comes at a time when the Eldoret Water and Sanitation Company (ELDOWAS) has been expressing concerns over the huge losses it has faced due to theft and vandalism of its systems.
Company’s Managing Director Peter Biwott says the water meters theft syndicate has been a significant challenge.
The company has however worked on enhancing surveillance even as it continues to rally locals to be vigilant and help report cases of vandalism and water theft.
But some of the water pipes and metres that the criminals vandalize from ELDOWAS lines find their way to scrap metal dealers and shops in Eldoret town.
Meanwhile, the company is now threatening to name and shame scrap metal dealers and shops that trade in items vandalized from their lines.
ELDOWAS further estimates that it loses at least 39 per cent of the water it produces annually due to among others water theft and leakages from pipes.
The loss translates to Ksh450 million annually which in the end affected their ability to offer quality water services to their customers.
