Most parts of country have suffered blackout – Kenya Power

Kenya Power has said most parts of the country suffered power outage Thursday evening following a system disturbance on the grid.

In a public notice, the utility firm said this resulted in power supply disruption in 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," the notice said.

"We will issue an update on the progress of the power restoration exercise within two hours."

On Monday, Kenya defended itself from conclusions from a section of Kenyans that the company ‘huanua stima’ (‘remove electricity from the cloth line) whenever it rains.

The company said the unplanned outages that occur whenever it rains are sparked off by strong winds that usually accompany heavy rains.

The strong winds, the company said, sway trees causing branches to touch and occasionally fall on power lines.

“This triggers a circuit breaker leading to power outage,” Kenya Power said.

A circuit breaker is an electrical safety device designed to protect an electrical circuit from damage caused by current in excess of that which an equipment can safely carry (overcurrent).

Its basic function is to interrupt current flow to protect equipment and to prevent fire.

 “Hatuanuangi stima!” Kenya Power said on X.

In its update on Thursday, the Kenya Meteorological department said heavy rainfall of more than 40mm in 24hrs was expected across Lake Victoria Basin, Rift Valley, Nairobi and Southeast Lowlands until Saturday.

The forecast said the rains would be accompanied with strong southerly winds, exceeding 30 knots, in coastal areas and Northeast Kenya.

This, the forecast showed, would likely intensify to over 40 knots from Friday, May 3 to Sunday, May 5, 2024.

"Large ocean waves of more than two meters anticipated in the Indian Ocean from May 2 to 5, 2024. Stay safe and keep an eye on weather updates," Met said.