A 28-year-old man died after being electrocuted while allegedly attempting to vandalise electricity infrastructure in Athi River, Machakos County, in the early hours of Monday.

Police said the incident occurred around 3am along Mutunguni Road, where Jackson Musee was found with severe burns beneath a high-voltage power line.

He was rushed to Shallom Community Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

Athi River Subcounty Police Commander Anderson Mbae said Musee told officers he had been with two other individuals who fled the scene after the incident.

The trio is believed to have been targeting loosely hanging electric cables.

The case has been recorded as both vandalism of critical infrastructure and an electrocution incident, with detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations launching a probe.

Mbae warned that anyone involved in vandalising power infrastructure would face the full force of the law, urging the public to report suspicious activity.

He also cautioned scrap metal dealers against trading in stolen items, warning of arrests and possible licence cancellations.

In a separate incident in neighbouring Makueni County, police have opened investigations after a human skull was discovered along River Kyang’ondu in Mbooni East.

The remains, found by passers-by on Monday morning, were reported to authorities by area assistant chief Getrude Waeni.

Police said the skull was significantly decomposed, making identification difficult.