NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 11 – Energy Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir has attributed Sunday’s countrywide blackout to a transmission overload along the Kisumu-Muhoroni line.
Speaking during a press conference Monday, Chirchir indicated that the transmission line which is designed to carry 80 megawatts was under pressure from 149 megawatts resulting in an overload causing the blackout.
He said the ministry is considering introducing load-shedding as a mitigation measure as they work on a new line which will take 20 months to complete.
The CS said the country has not had any major electricity system upgrades for the past six years.
Kenya has experienced three manor blackouts in the past three months, raising questions about the utility firm’s efficiency.
In all three blackouts, the country’s main Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) was affected in what Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen wants investigated by police.
“Considering the frequency of the power disruption, and taking into account the fact that JKIA is a facility of strategic national importance, we are making a formal request to the National Police Service to investigate possible acts of sabotage and coverup,” Murkomen tweeted soon after the power outage.
