The Ministry of Energy has unveiled plans to deal with unplanned power outages witnessed frequently in recent years.
As detailed in the final strategic plan covering the next three years, unplanned power blackouts were identified as some of the risk factors facing the country.
Notably, it was noted that the outages were old systems that were installed years ago.
Consequently, as a redemptive measure, the Ministry noted that it would replace the ageing systems with new ones.
The Ministry also highlighted that it would be enhancing the security of key infrastructure to prevent vandalism. This will involve physical inspection and the use of drones.
"The risks are categorised and prioritised based on the likelihood of occurrence and expected impact with suggested actions for mitigation, monitoring and reporting of those risks.
"Some of the mitigation measures include enhancing surveillance and modernising the distribution system and ensuring the use of quality materials and workmanship in construction," read the strategic plan in part.
Nonetheless, the Ministry led by Davis Chirchir noted that various measures had been taken to reduce incidents of power outages between 2017 and 2022.
It was reported that power supply reliability improved from a Customer's Average Interruption Duration Index (CAIDI) of 4.4 in 2017 to 2.24 as of June 2023.
"This was a result of refurbishment and upgrade of the distribution system; automation of power systems and mechanization of labour-intensive technical operations.
"Additionally, this resulted from the implementation of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, live line maintenance and Advanced Distribution Management System projects aimed at reducing the number of outages and providing flexibility during maintenance," read the report in part.
Further, the Ministry noted that it would also be undertaking various reforms at Kenya Power to enhance its efficiency and operations.
The reforms listed included delinking government development initiatives and letting the utility firm operate on commercial principles.
