KABALE: Rwandan National Arrested over Solar Panel Vandalism

By Moses Agaba

A Rwandan National has been arrested for attempting to steal and vandalize Solar Panels in Kabale Municipality

Alfonse, Shimark a Rwandan national, was on Tuesday evening arrested through a coordinated effort by law enforcement officers patrolling the area.

ASP Elly Maate, the Kigezi region police spokesperson, Alfonse was caught red-handed atop a solar panel installation along NSSF Makanga road in Central Division, Kabale municipality, during the early hours of April 9^th, 2024.

Maate disclosed that vigilant witnesses noticed two individuals atop the solar panel, but while one managed to evade capture, Alfonse was successfully apprehended.

“This incident occurred around 5 am, and our officers swiftly responded to the scene, managing to thwart the attempted theft,” Maate said .

He assured the public of ongoing efforts to combat such crimes, emphasizing the importance of community vigilance and cooperation in maintaining security.

Maate says that the police department’s commitment to gathering comprehensive information on Alfonse’s associates to ensure their apprehension and subsequent prosecution.

He urged residents to report any suspicious activities promptly, reiterating the police’s dedication to safeguarding public and private property.

Last week during the commissioning of the Ugx 2 Billion solar street light project under Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development (USMID) program with funding from World Bank the municipal leaders and security officials said that there is challenge of vandalism of the security solar lights as security led by the RDC Godfrey Nyakahuma and Elly Maate, police spokesperson for Kigezi region they said security they are embark on patrolling any on caught security says that any person found red handed vandalizing the solar lights be shot on site and neutralized.

Maate and Nyakahuma explain that vandalizing such street lights also destabilizes the effectiveness of security cameras installed along several roads in the Municipality. They add that neutralizing culprits on site will act as a lesson to others with the same intentions.