Two Suspects Arrested for Vandalizing Nairobi-Mombasa SGR Railway Line

Police in Mtito Andei, Makueni County have arrested two suspects for allegedly vandalizing the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR).

Michael Mbevi and Nicodemus Kyove were arrested on Saturday at the former’s scrap metal store in Kinyambu, Mtito Andei following a tip-off from a member of the public.

They were found loading railway line gauge blocks into a lorry destined for the lucrative scrap metal market, according to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). Mbevi is a scrap metal dealer in Mtito Andei while Kyove is the driver of the truck in which the blocks were being loaded.

The blocks were stolen from the railway line on November 22nd, leading to a two-hour delay of SGR services on the Nairobi-Mombasa route as engineers and security officers inspected the extent of the damage. 

“The greed by scrap metal dealers to make quick profits through sale of the gauge blocks which ensure that the width of the railway line is maintained, could have led to devastating consequences including the derailment of a train,” DCI says in a report. 

During the 11am operation, railway police officers and DCI detectives recovered 22 pieces of Gauge Blocks and one Fish Plate vandalized from the SGR line. 
 
The two suspects will be arraigned in court on Monday to face economic sabotage and terrorism-related charges.