31 October 2007
editorial
Nairobi — The international price for copper has hit an all-time high. The price per tonne of copper wire this week peaked at $8,000 a tonne, a radical reversal of the situation a few years ago when producer countries like Zambia were almost bankrupted.
Locally, crooks have taken to plundering Telkom Kenya and Kenya Power & Lighting Company investments worth billions of shillings, in the process cutting off customers. Telkom Kenya says it lost Sh500 million last year as a result.
Efforts to tackle the menace through higher export tariffs appear to have had little impact so far. This is because the surging demand in the booming economies of Asia can withstand the slightly higher costs. For instance, demand in China in the last nine months has doubled.
Needless to say, it is not only Kenya which is grappling with theft of copper cables. Countries like the US are facing a similar problem, prompting tough disclosure rules for traders.
Sabotage of the utilities, which includes the removal of copper manhole covers, denies thousands of Kenyans services, and endangers life besides.
That is why continued calls by the utility companies for a total ban on the export of scrap metal should not be disregarded.
Kenya is not a producer of these metals and any attempt to justify the exports defies logic. True, some scrap metal can be legally exported, but this should not be used to condone economic sabotage. We urge the Government to impose a total ban on such exports, a move that will be in the wider public interest.
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