This archive report was first published on 1 November 2019.
On November 1, 2019, a court in Embu handed down a 10-year jail sentence to Julius Mwangi for vandalizing a Safaricom base transmission station.
The incident occurred on August 22, 2017, at Nthagaiya area in Embu, where Mwangi severed the telecoms operator's transmission station with intent to steal equipment valued at Sh482,652.
Senior principal magistrate Josphat Gichimu observed that the vandalization left thousands of residents in a communications blackout, with the whole of Nthagaiya Sub-location cut off from the rest of the world.
Mwangi gained entry into the station after removing a concrete stone and damaged the station, leading to a security guard reporting the matter to police after a routine check-up.
In his judgment, the magistrate noted that Mwangi had committed a very serious crime and deserved to be heavily punished, citing evidence by prosecution witnesses that proved his guilt beyond any reasonable doubt.
