Energy Principal Secretary Alex Wachira on Tuesday clarified that the government is not planning to ration electricity after Kenyans interpreted Energy CS's load-shedding strategy as a plan to start rationing electricity to minimise outages.
Speaking at Uhuru Gardens, the PS explained that they will not ration power but will look for other reliable options.
"I want to set the record straight and tell Kenyans, we are not in power rationing mode unlike what has been reported," he stated.
The PS vowed that the country will not experience another blackout. He revealed that with the continued rainfall, the sector has received more renewable energy that can be distributed across the country.
"During the festive season, I want to assure Kenyans that they will have an adequate supply of power
Wachira emphasised that the Sunday blackout was caused by an overload between Muhoroni and Kisumu transmission lines. He explained that Kenya Power was working to stabilise the line.
On Monday, CS Chirchir announced that power rationing especially in the Nyanza and Western regions, will be the temporary solution put in place.
"We will implement it in a structured way. It will be a limited power rationing and will only happen during peak hours," Chirchir announced.
On this, PS Wachira remarked that the rationing would be implemented between 6 pm to 9.30 pm.
Additionally, Chirchir disclosed that besides the rationing, the ministry was looking at other long-term solutions to avoid frequent countrywide blackouts which have caused an uproar in the country.
"It is a challenge we are ashamed of as a country, and we must address it. It’s bound to happen again, but we will look at serious maintenance,” Chirchir stated on the frequent blackouts.
This was the third nationwide blackout in the country within three months that affected operations in major sectors like hospitals, airports, and manufacturing.
Kenyans have since called upon the stakeholders in the energy sector to fast-track the repairs of damaged transmission lines and put up measures to avoid outages in the future.
