Alphonse Shirmak, a Rwandan national, was apprehended by authorities after he was caught vandalizing a street solar panel along Jackson Road in Central Division, Kabale municipality.

Shirmak, currently detained at Kabale police station, was discovered in the act of vandalizing solar street light panels near the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) Kabale branch at around 5 am on Wednesday.

According to Joseph Bakaleke, the Kabale district police commander, Shirmak was spotted by police officers on night patrol as he attempted to remove the solar panel from the pole. Upon noticing the officers, Shirmak, who was accompanied by a boda boda rider, attempted to flee the scene.

Elly Maate, the police spokesperson for the Kigezi region, explained that Shirmak’s accomplice managed to escape on the motorcycle while Shirmak himself was apprehended by the police.

Maate further stated that Shirmak will face charges of vandalism and theft once investigations into the incident are concluded.

The incident is part of a series of vandalism cases targeting solar panels in Kabale. In recent times, there have been approximately 17 reported incidents of vandalism and theft of solar panels installed along various roads in the Central, Northern, and Southern Divisions of Kabale.

In response to the escalating incidents, Kabale district security authorities have recommended taking immediate action against vandals.

This comes in the wake of the commissioning of the Shs 1.9 billion solar streetlights project under the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development (USMID) program.