Nairobi — Following reports that members of the outlawed Mungiki sect thrive in the slum by extorting money from residents in exchange for electricity supply, Kenya Power and Lighting Company sought the help of police in an operation that saw more than 100 persons arrested and charged with electricity-related offences.

With a gigantic wire coiling around his hand, the police inspector watches as the crowd surges menacingly.

They approach him from different sides. Their mission is simple: Overwhelm the law-keeper, disarm him and unleash terror. Mob (in)justice in this area is swift and final.

It is a cat and mouse game as the officer watches the "enemy" troops grouping. Without any warning, he charges and there is mayhem as each soul scampers for safety.

Life in Kariobangi can be brutal and short. That is why the police inspector is not taking any chance. His eyes never rest; they furtively search, not knowing when the enemy would strike. He will not allow himself to be surrounded.

All around him, there is a beehive of activity. An eerie calm reigns in the slum, which in the recent past has witnessed unmitigated violence.

A spirit of brotherhood envelops the area. Atop a building, strangers watch over each other's shoulders, ready to warn of impending danger.

One by one the miniature aerials, which almost hide the skyline, come down tumbling unceremoniously.

Residents, it seems, have long surrendered to their fate. And their nights would be long and lonely. Dawns would be no better - chilly and uninviting.

On the ground, pliers ceaselessly eat into miles of red, green and blue wires. Not long ago, they transmitted power, light and happiness to the residents. Now, the power of darkness reigns.

Guns are ready as snaking cables are exposed, padlocks broken and meter boxes meticulously examined by Kenya Power and Lighting Company technicians. The verdict of these men can mean either the facility would be destroyed or left intact.

A forlorn looking woman, with a child dangling from her back, remarks as she hurries past the "demolition squad."

"Leo wezi wa stima wata kipata. Wamezoea kusambaza lakini gava imegutuka " (Today, the electricity thieves have been cornered. They have been supplying power illegally but the Government has caught up with them.)

There is a commotion as the squad heads towards a relatively huge building, which later turns out to be a church. A woman tries to slum the door shut, but she is too late. The uninvited guests storm in. After her electricity supply is disconnected, she is bundled into a waiting van. She pleads to be freed. No. She would be held until her husband shows up. So she gives up.

In the labyrinth that is Kenya's slum, uncoordinated network of all manner of electricity conduits weave in and out of cesspools, posing danger to the inhabitants. Naked live wires protrude from the barren sandy patches. And next to these live wires stands a pool of raw sewer. Welcome to Nairobi's slum. Here, dwellers have devised a new meaning for "sambaza" (supply).

The new code of brotherhood is contagious and afflicts the affluent and the wretched of the earth in equal measure. It all started as a joke. When a few landlords could no longer cope with the Kenya Power and Lighting Company bills, they resorted to the underworld for help.

And the electricity supply cartel has evolved into a multi-million shilling undertaking. It has sucked in enterprising criminal gangs with scouts and armies. The "disobedient" residents receive a proportional measure of violence from these vicious gangs.

Statistics published in 2004 show illegal power tapping has led KPLC to lose more than Sh1 billion. Electricity theft is not a new phenomenon in Kenya. By the end of 2003, KPLC had received 7,674 tips of fraud during a four-year interlude. After exhaustive investigation, the power transmitter and supplier managed to recover Sh160 million in revenue, some came from fines imposed by courts.

Hairs stood on end when a contingent of police officers, KPLC and Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company officials visited Mathare slums last week and disconnected illegal power and water supplies. There was open rebellion as gang members, who interpreted the raid as an invasion of their financial empire, readied themselves for a duel with security forces.

"We have people who monitor connection of electricity. If he is not remitting any money to us, we disconnect. The money funds our activities," says Mr Ngotho Kariuki, who claims to be the local co-ordinator of the outlawed Mungiki sect.

A number of Korogocho and Mathare residents, who talked on condition of anonymity, echoed the sentiments of the 40 -year-old sect leader. "These gangs are powerful. They have youths who keep KPLC meter readers at bay. The connection is done in such a manner that KPLC personnel cannot severe it quickly," says a resident who sought anonymity.

Superintendent Samuel Mukinda, who leads this squad, says that for years, KPLC personnel have not been able to access city slums.

"These people can attack you at the slightest provocation. That is why we have armed officers," says a police officer.

"It is not only the shacks owners who have been using power without paying. We have even uncovered churches and apartment owners. The Government is losing million of shillings," says Mukinda.

When the operation started, the team ran into trouble at Kosovo slums, the base of Mungiki sect followers. But the traditional militant behaviour seems to have thawed considerably after the State's display of violence in dealing with the sect and other armed criminals.

However, there were still pockets of violence as some residents stoned the law enforcers who had opened fire on the crowd. And in the subsequent days, the officials moved from one household to the other disconnecting power and water supply.

KPLC says more than 100,000 households receive electricity supply illegally. Investigations have disclosed that members of the outlawed Mungiki sect collect money from the tenants.

Police have been working to wipe out Mungiki, which demands protection fee and controls illegal businesses that provide electricity by rerouting circuits. The group has also been blamed for killing at least 27 civilians and 15 police officers since April. Many of the victims were beheaded.

"This is another step towards complete elimination of the Mungiki," says an official, adding that once their source of revenue is cut, it would become difficult for them to operate.

The operation has plunged large parts of the city slums into darkness and more than 100 landlords, among them a pastor, have since been arrested and charged in court with obtaining electricity illegally.

The law is emphatic about connection, and consumption of illegally tapped electricity as spelt out by the Electricity Act of 1997. The Act criminalises bypassing, rerouting or unauthorised interference with KPLC's electricity installation facilities.

The law also prohibits falsifying of meter readings, self-reconnection after disconnection and tapping directly from overhead wires. Anybody contravening the Act risks being jailed for up to two years or face a penalty of Sh30,000 or both. The affected consumer is further required to settle all the pending bills before being reconnected.

When the special squad took its war to Kariobangi North, they were shocked to find some premises have up to three connections. When KPLC employees attempted to severe some of the cables, mighty sparks erupted, scaring them away.

Armed police officers patrolled the area to ensure KPLC personnel undertook their mission successfully.

Kiosks, video dens and cyber cafes have also been shut down owing to lack of electricity. Those interviewed said sect members demand between Sh50 and Sh200 from each household every month.

The gang has developed elaborate rates for all sectors. And there are special rates for non-residents.

The operation to disconnect the illegal electricity supply started in Mathare, plunging the second biggest informal settlement in East and Central Africa into darkness. The exercise spread to Huruma and later to Kariobangi.

During the disconnection exercise, tenants would climb on rooftops and report on every development to their shadowy masters.

Some landlords attempted to thwart the operation by locking the gates.

"KPLC loses about four per cent of its electricity to theft or what is called commercial loses. One per cent represents about Sh250 million," says KPLC Corporate Communications Manager, Mr Migwi Theuri.

Theuri's statistics show the corporation has been losing about Sh1 billion annually due to illegal connections.

He could not rule out the possibility of former KPLC employees being involved in the illegal activities.

Even the introduction of pre-paid system, KPLC says, would not deter electricity thieves, but will assist consumers determine how much power they use.

The system, Theuri adds, will further help KPLC streamline its revenue collection. Clients will pay for electricity the same way they purchase credit for their mobile phones.

He also adds that KPLC has not devised methods of deterring electricity theft. Instead, the firm still uses physical methods in detecting the vice.

Though electricity is naturally dangerous, and hence puts off some people, this has not stopped determined individuals from tapping, diverting or selling it.

"Some are electrocuted but the vice is still rife," he adds.