By Gibrill Gottor
The Kambia electricity project has suffered another setback following an alleged attempted theft and vandalism involving high-tension cables at the electricity power station in Malal Community.
On Saturday, 26 September 2026, community members reported an attempted theft at the Kambia electricity power house, where major high-tension cables installed in readiness to supply sustainable electricity to Kambia after about four decades of persistent darkness were allegedly cut and left lying on the ground.
The incident has raised concerns among some community members, including suggestions that the reported action may have involved individuals with knowledge of the facility. However, such claims remain allegations and require proper investigation and verification by the relevant authorities.
As part of efforts to establish what happened, the extent of the alleged damage and the response of the authorities, this Press contacted Mohamed Alim Kamara, the Community Liaison Officer between the Electricity Generation and Transmission Company (EGTC) and the community.
Alim said he was unaware of the incident and described it as news to him, despite learning about the alleged incident approximately five days after it reportedly occurred.
Alim nevertheless expressed willingness to cooperate with the investigation and provided the contact of a man identified as Baimba, who introduced himself during a telephone conversation as the Deputy Station Manager representing EGTC in Kambia.
Baimba said he did not have the authority to speak to the media about the reported incident. Upon request, he provided the contact of his superior, Tony, who informed this Press that he was outside the district.
On 1 October 2026, following further communication with Manager Tony, we requested permission to access the power station compound to independently verify the reported vandalism. We proposed that Baimba accompany us and explained the reason for our entry into the compound.
The request was declined. Tony instead instructed us to travel to Freetown should we have any matter to verify with EGTC.
On Friday, 2 October 2026, Mohamed Alim invited us to accompany him to the electricity power station to verify the report put to him.
Upon arrival, we held an extensive engagement with Manager Tony, Deputy Manager Baimba and a security officer employed by a private security company.
Following our initial request, we were subsequently taken on a tour of the compound.
During the tour, we observed cut high-tension cables lying on the ground and disconnected from a large transformer located approximately 25 metres from the security post.
The observation raised further questions because the facility is enclosed by a high fence, has a secured entrance gate and is reportedly guarded by two security personnel day and night. However, the compound does not appear to have security lighting, and wires on the left side of the high fence approximately 10 meters to where the alleged vandalism took place was discovered broken.
At the time of our visit, we were not shown evidence of a police report concerning the incident, although the reported attempted theft had occurred almost a week earlier.
During our investigation, allegations were raised that some EGTC employees and security personnel in Kambia may have had knowledge of the reported attempted theft. These allegations have not been independently established, and no individual should be considered responsible without a proper investigation and due process.
Our findings indicate that a police report was made after the involvement of community members and the media, approximately a week after the alleged incident.
Questions therefore remain about how the cables came to be cut and left on the ground inside a secured public facility; whether security personnel on duty on the day of the alleged attempted theft detected the activity; when EGTC management became aware of the incident; and what immediate steps were taken to secure the equipment and report the matter to the appropriate authorities.
It also remains important to establish whether anyone has been invited by the police for questioning in connection with the reported attempted theft.
The latest incident comes approximately five months after another reported theft involving copper cables connected to about four transformers within Kambia Township.
The Kambia electricity project is regarded by many residents as a major development after decades without reliable electricity.
Any theft, vandalism or deliberate damage to infrastructure intended to provide electricity to the people of Kambia therefore raises serious concerns about the protection of public assets and the timely delivery of the project.
Rather than drawing conclusions before a proper investigation, there is a need for the relevant authorities, including EGTC, the police and other appropriate state institutions, to establish exactly what happened, who was responsible, whether there were security lapses and what measures are being taken to prevent a recurrence.
The people of Kambia deserve transparency and accountability concerning infrastructure being developed in their interest.
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