Kenya has once again been thrust into darkness as a nationwide blackout struck the country on Thursday, May 2, 5:40pm, compounding the challenges already faced due to heavy downpours.
In a press release, Kenya Power, the national utility company, attributed the blackout to a system disturbance on the grid, leading to disruptions in power supply across most parts of the country.
“We regret any inconvenience caused and urge for patience from our customers as we work towards restoring normal power supply at the earliest opportunity,” stated Kenya Power in the release.
The company has assured Kenyans that it is working to restore power within two hours.
This recent blackout follows a similar incident in December last year, which was attributed by Energy Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir to an overload in the Kisumu-Muhoroni line.
Chirchir noted that the line, designed to carry 80MW, was overloaded with 149MW at the time of the blackout.
“We have not invested much in the networks. We plan on giving out a number of networks to be built by private firms. This will ease putting pressure,” Chirchir commented.
