A Kenyan man who was charged with selling potato chips that had been fried in transformer oil receives a two-year prison term or a Ksh.200,000 ($1,500) fine. Elijah Mwangi Muthoga allegedly had 11 liters of transformer oil in his possession when he was apprehended in December 2021, according to Citizen Digital. In the country of East Africa, the accused man is a hotelier.

In addition to being repackaged and sold as popcorn oil, the poisonous fluid was also used to fry potato chips before they were sold, according to court filings. The person who supplied the transformer oil received a sentence of 10 years in prison or a fine of KShs. 10 million (about $77,000).

“This ruling is a big boost to the Company’s effort to fight transformer vandalism as the stiff penalties and jail terms will deter vandals,” Kenya Power’s Ag. Manager for Security Services Maj. Paul Nyaga (Rtd) said.

Kenya Power also stated that one of the main reasons behind power outages in the East African nation was vandalism on transformers. “In addition to undermining the quality and reliability of the electricity supply, transformer vandalism poses a risk of electrocution and exposes the Company to financial losses in lost sales and the cost of replacing the transformers,” Kenya Power said.

As previously reported by Face2Face Africa, Kenya Power also said the thieves who extract the toxic fluids pass them on to cartels who later sell them as cooking oil to restaurants and roadside stalls.

Officials said the upsurge in vandalism is because of the increasing price of cooking oil. As a result, businesses are adopting unconventional methods to remain in business. Although cooking oil and transformer oil look similar, health experts warn the latter is dangerous for human consumption and causes grave health risks.