Technical fault causes blackout in Nairobi

Kenya Power said on Monday that a technical fault at one of its substations in the North of the capital had caused an electricity outage that affected Nairobi, Mount Kenya and Coast regions.

Kenya Power said in a statement that its technicians were working to restore supply as soon as possible.

“A technical fault occurred at a Kenya Power substation in Ndenderu (Nairobi North Substation) this morning.

“It has cut off supplies from Olkaria geothermal fields to the City and causing a power outage,” the statement said.

Industrial consumers in Nairobi and the neighbouring town of Thika, both affected by the outage, generate 60 per cent of Kenya Power’s revenues.

Many firms in Kenya run stand-by generators to address frequent power interruptions, adding to their costs.

Businesses say unreliable power supplies are a major obstacle to investment.