KPLC Explains Massive Power Blackout

Kenya Power technician fixing lines on a pole on February 15, 2023
Kenya Power technician fixing lines on a pole on February 15, 2023.
Photo
KPLC

Kenya Power has attributed a nationwide blackout that stuck on the evening of Tuesday, May 16, to system failure.

In a statement, the utility firm indicated that the blackout affected some sections of the country including North Rift, Western and sections of Nairobi.

The explanation from the power transmitting company came after a series of complaints raised by Kenyans from various parts of the country.

However, the utility firm assured Kenyans it was working to restore the power supply.

Kenya Power staff loading electricity poles on a truck on February 24, 2023
Kenya Power staff loading electricity poles on a truck on February 24, 2023.
Photo
KPLC

"We have lost electricity supply affecting parts of North Rift, Western and sections of Nairobi due to a system disturbance affecting one of our major power transmission lines," the statement read in part.

"Our engineers are working to restore the electricity supply to the affected areas at the earliest opportunity," it added.

Some sections of Nairobi affected by the blackout included Buruburu, Umoja and Westlands.

"Kindly note there is a fault affecting your area. Our team is working to restore supply. The inconvenience is regretted," KPLC responded to the Umoja Estate outage.

The outage came after a series of maintenance carried out by the power-supplying company in the country.

Among the areas covered by the maintenance on Tuesday, May 16, included Trans Nzoia, Kiambu, Vihiga and Embu County.

To address power blackouts, KPLC launched a countrywide campaign targeting vandalism. 

Besides addressing vandalism, the Energy Ministry indicated that the operation was geared towards addressing the quality of electricity supply within different households.

Illegal connections reportedly compromised the quality of the electricity supply. According to Ministry of Energy officials, illegal connections pose a danger of electrocution to users.

To address the power losses, President William Ruto, through a cabinet directive, started overhauling the management of the utility firm.

A collage of KPLC employees on duty (left) and apartments in Nairobi (right)
A collage of KPLC employees on duty (left) and apartments in Nairobi (right).
Photo
KPLC/ Rent Air
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