The western and Rift valley Regions are set for a weekend without lights.
The Kenya Power Company, popularly known by its trading ticker NSE, announced in a statement on March 26 that it will switch off the electricity supply on the 132kV double circuit Lessos-Lanet transmission to give room for ongoing construction.
The new 220kV Olkaria-Lessos-Kibos transmission line that is under construction is expected to stabilize the power supply to the Western Kenya region and address existing supply challenges.
“It is part of the transmission projects that the government is currently undertaking to strengthen the electricity supply infrastructure across the country.”
“The interruption will occur on Saturday, March 27, and Sunday, March 28 between 7.00 am and 5.00 pm on both days,” said KPLC.
According to KPLC, the interruption will affect electricity supply to few parts of counties within the Western and Rift Valley regions including; Kakamega, Kisumu, Busia, Bungoma, Vihiga, Siaya, Homabay, Migori, Kisii, and Nyamira. Others are Bomet, Kericho, Elgeyo Marakwet, Uasin Gishu, Trans Nzoia and Nandi.
Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, March 24, Energy CS Charles Keter explained that the outages had spiked the Olkaria-Lessos-Kisumu 400kV transmission line is yet to be completed.
He further noted that the current transmission line had aged with the new one facing challenges that saw it fail to meet the initial completion date of 2018.
Keter further noted that the Western Kenya region was the worst affected by the outages since Kenya Power had to turn off one line in order to fully supply the other.
He also pointed out that the problem would subside in the next three weeks, once the government releases Ksh500 million to finance the completion of the project
The transmission line which is a regional power connector is undergoing an upgrade.
The first regional power interconnection between Kenya and a neighboring country was done in 1955; the Kenya-Uganda 132kV line connected the power generation at the Owen Falls Hydroelectric power station with the load centers in Kenya, traversing through Tororo, Musaga, Lessos, Lanet, and Nairobi.
