Detectives have launched a manhunt for suspects who deconstructed a railway line and loaded over 60 rails into a waiting lorry in Rongai, Northwest of Nairobi.
The suspects had loaded 65 rails and 120 slippers into a waiting lorry when police officers from Rongai police station accosted them a few minutes before midnight on Sunday.
But on sighting the officers, the loaders and the lorry driver immediately took off, leaving the lorry loaded with the vandalized materials. The Rails and Slippers had been vandalized from the line that runs from Rongai to Kampi ya Moto and Solai.
The incident came after unscrupulous traders’ vandalism of critical infrastructure led to the scrapping of scrap metal dealing last year after the vandalism of critical infrastructure became rampant.
In one instance last year, vandalism of gauge blocks along the standard gauge railway line led to the stoppage of operations for two hours as railway engineers and security officers inspected the extent of the damage caused to the critical national transport infrastructure.
“Vandalism of critical national infrastructure is a serious offence and the suspects once arrested could face Economic Sabotage and Terrorism related charges,” said the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
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