Man jailed 15 years for stealing electricity equipment

A 27-year-old man, Kashoni Kasitomu, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for vandalizing ESCOM infrastructure near Kapinga Trading Center in Lilongwe.

He was also given a three-year jail term for theft, but will serve only 15 years as the sentences run concurrently.

This conviction is significant, as ESCOM reports losing around K3 billion annually due to infrastructure vandalism.

ESCOM’s Chief Public Relations Officer, Pilirani Phiri, welcomed the ruling, emphasizing that it sends a strong warning to potential offenders and that ESCOM will continue to work with law enforcement to combat the crime.