A section of Garissa town that is in darkness./STEPHEN ASTARIKO
Residents of Garissa going about their businesses this
evening./STEPHEN ASTARIKO
A section of Garissa town that is in darkness./STEPHEN ASTARIKOLarge parts of Garissa Town and its surrounding areas were plunged into darkness following a prolonged power outage that started during the night.
The outage, which began at around 8 a.m., has disrupted daily activities and crippled businesses heavily reliant on electricity.
A statement from Kenya Power posted seven hours ago read in part: “Parts of Garissa Town have been without power since around 2:00 a.m. last night following a fault at the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (RAYA) substation that supplies the area.”
“A team drawn from both Kenya Power and KETRACO has been mobilised and is on its way to the site to identify and fix the problem. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience as the team works to restore power as soon as possible. Updates will follow,” the message posted on the company’s Facebook page read.
There has not been any further update since then.
The outage affected several areas, including Madogo, Bangal, KBC, Iftin, Bula Mzuri, Garissa General Hospital, Bula Gestow, Bula Hagar, Bula Game, Bula Hodan, Bashal, Modika Barracks, and Garissa University.
The blackout has left many residents frustrated, with those who rely directly on electricity for their businesses being the most affected.
James Kinyanjui, who operates a barbershop along Miraa Road, one of the affected streets, expressed deep concern over the disruption.
“We’ve not had power since morning. It has been a wasted day where I have counted losses. Since morning, I have been hanging around hoping that power will be restored, but we are still in blackout,” said Kinyanjui.
Halima Hussein, a businesswoman at Suq Mugdi, which was also affected, said the blackout had led to huge losses, especially of perishable goods.
“All my perishable goods are at risk because my fridges are off. We depend on electricity to keep our stock fresh. Using generators is extremely expensive, so it was not an option. This outage has really hurt my business,” said Halima.
Cyber café operators and barbershops also bore the brunt of the blackout.
“I run a small printing and photocopying shop in Madogo. My business has been closed the whole day. As you are aware, without electricity, there is little I can do. I have turned away several customers. It is regrettable,” said Abdi Jarso.
The outage has caused a lot of concern among residents, especially considering that the town is connected to the national grid.
By the time of going to press, power had been restored in some parts of Garissa and the neighboring Madogo Town.
