Ruto Addresses Kenya Kwanza's Naivasha Meeting in Darkness After 2 Power Blackouts

President William Ruto delivering speech in darkness after power outage during the  National Executive Retreat in Naivasha on February 21,2024
President William Ruto delivering speech in darkness after power outage during the National Executive Retreat in Naivasha on February 21,2024
Kenyans.co.ke

President William Ruto was on Wednesday forced to deliver his speech in darkness after two power outages at the closing stages of the National Executive Retreat in Naivasha.

Ruto was addressing Cabinet Secretaries, and was explaining his government's agenda and why he chose them to help him deliver his mandate when lights went off.

The Head of State could be heard struggling to deliver his speech momentarily before the lights were restored.

"The reason why I appointed you is that I knew you have the capacity to do the job you are doing," Ruto stated before a power outage was experienced.

President William Ruto addressing government officials during the second government retreat on February 21, 2024
President William Ruto addressing government officials during the second government retreat on February 21, 2024
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The incident occurred twice within five minutes, the second one occurring just when he was about to end his speech.

However, despite being interrupted twice, Ruto did not comment on the matter, but instead proceeded to complete his speech.

This comes amid complaints over frequent power outages in various parts of the country, forcing Kenyans to resort to alternative means of power supply.

In December last year, President Ruto directed the Ministry of Energy to deal with the challenge of frequent power failure.

While chairing a cabinet meeting, the Head of State disclosed that frequent power outages were hurting Kenya’s investment profile.

The Cabinet resolved that the Bomet transmission line system should be unbundled so that power failure in one part of the nation does not affect the entire country.

"The move, which involves the separation of generation, transmission and distribution of power, will ensure that the entire country is not thrown into darkness if a line fails," read part of the Cabinet dispatch.

"To deal with the overloading of transmission lines that cause outages, the Cabinet noted that the Bomet-Narok line will be constructed."

President William Ruto (centre) poses for a photo with his Cabinet during the end of the Second National Executive Retreat in Naivasha, Nakuru County, on February 21, 2024.
President William Ruto (centre) poses for a photo with his Cabinet during the end of the Second National Executive Retreat in Naivasha, Nakuru County, on February 21, 2024.
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