Power outages in Kenya with little explanation and a rare apology
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Kenya Power issue an apology following a nationwide power outage that started on Friday, August 24, at 9 p.m. to Saturday
Kenya Power issue an apology following a nationwide power outage that started on Friday, August 24, at 9 p.m. to Saturday.
After an unexplained power outage Friday night closed down the nation’s main international airport and resulted in a rare instance of a government Cabinet Secretary
Still, a large portion of Kenya awakened on Saturday morning to find it still without Power.
Major hospitals and even the president’s office compound were affected.
On Saturday morning, Kenya Power confirmed that it restored power in the Mt Kenya region hours after the system failure occurred.
Areas within the Nairobi Metropolitan considered crucial to the country’s operations, also saw their power restored on Saturday morning.
Kenya Power added that its teams moved quickly to power up critical infrastructure such as airports and hospitals.
The nationwide power outage majorly affected Western Kenya, Rift Valley, Mt Kenya regions, and the Nairobi Metropolis.
Some institutions also experienced system failure with their backup generators, resulting in further delays in the delivery of services.
Among those affected were Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) leaving travelers stranded, a move that forced Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen to apologize.
“I am really sorry for what has happened,” transport minister Kipchumba Murkomen said in a statement close to midnight. “There is no excuse worth reporting and there is no reason why our airport is in darkness.”
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This latest outage affecting much of the country comes just weeks before Kenya’s government hosts the first Africa Climate Summit, where energy will be key on the agenda. Kenya gets almost all its energy from renewable sources, but infrastructure and alleged mismanagement remain an issue.
While apologizing for the incident, Kenya Power announced in a brief statement a “system disturbance led to the loss of bulk power supply” to parts of the country.
“Our teams are working to restore electricity to all areas across the country that were affected by the outage. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience caused and thank them all for their patience,” read the statement in part.
The power outage passed the 12-hour mark Saturday in what Kenyans called the longest such outage in memory.
Tourism is an important part of Kenya’s economy, and stranded travelers quickly posted images on social media of the darkened airport.
The Kenya Airports Authority said a generator serving the main terminal had failed to start after the national power outage.
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