Power distributing company Kenya Power & Lighting Company (KPLC) on Friday announced a power blackout in parts of the country.
In a statement on X, KPLC said a power outage affected several parts of the country except sections of North Rift and Western Region. READ FULL STORY
“We apologize for the inconvenience and kindly ask for your patience as our engineers work swiftly to restore service. We will keep you updated on the process and share more information on the restoration efforts as soon as possible,” KPLC said.
Kenya has experienced several major nationwide power outages in recent months, causing widespread disruption across the country.
On Sunday, September 3, 2023, a blackout hit Kenya around 8 PM, paralyzing large parts of the country, including the main airport in Nairobi.
It was the third such nationwide outage within the last three months.
The previous major outage was on August 25, 2023, which was the longest disruption in Kenya’s history with the cause remaining unclear.
Other recent nationwide blackouts occurred on November 11, 2023, December 10, 2023.and March 4, 2024.
The frequent outages have been blamed on aging transmission lines and overloaded power systems.
They have caused significant economic losses, with the manufacturing sector alone estimated to lose around Ksh 119.4 million per hour during a nationwide blackout.
In response to the latest outage, the then Transport Minister Kipchumba Murkomen requested that the police investigate possible sabotage and cover-ups, noting the strategic importance of the airport which was affected.
He also said that the government was planning to build additional power networks over the next 20 months to prevent future outages.
