Kenya Power Blames National Grid Technical Fault for Nationwide Blackout, Restores Electricity by 2 a.m.

Kenya Power Blames National Grid Technical Fault for Nationwide Blackout, Restores Electricity by 2 a.m.

NAIROBI, Kenya – Kenya Power has attributed the nationwide power outage that plunged large parts of the country into darkness on the night of Wednesday, July 29, to a technical disturbance on the national electricity grid, assuring consumers that electricity supply had been fully restored by the early hours of Thursday.

The outage, which began shortly after 9:00 p.m., affected Nairobi, the Coast region, Central Kenya, parts of the Rift Valley and several other counties, disrupting businesses, transport services and household activities before engineers successfully restored power in phases overnight.

In a statement issued after the incident, Kenya Power confirmed that engineers worked through the night to stabilize the national grid before restoring electricity to all affected customers by 2:00 a.m.

“We are pleased to report that power supply was fully restored to all affected customers by 2:00am today,” Kenya Power said in its official update.

The utility company explained that the interruption resulted from a technical disturbance on the national grid, the interconnected electricity transmission system responsible for delivering power from generation plants to homes, industries and businesses across the country.

Kenya’s electricity network is coordinated from the National Control Centre in Nairobi, which continuously monitors electricity demand and generation to ensure a stable supply.

The country is also constructing a modern National System Control Centre in Embakasi, while an existing backup control facility at the Coast provides operational continuity in the event of emergencies.

The national grid receives electricity from several major generation sources, including the Olkaria geothermal complex in Naivasha, which produces a significant share of Kenya’s electricity, the Seven Forks hydroelectric stations along the Tana River, and the Lake Turkana Wind Power Project, one of Africa’s largest wind farms.

Power generated from these facilities is transmitted through high-voltage lines before passing through key substations that distribute electricity across different regions.

Among the country’s most critical installations is the Suswa Substation, located northwest of Nairobi, which links geothermal, wind and regional transmission networks, alongside the Juja Substation, a major distribution hub serving the capital and surrounding counties.

As engineers responded to the outage, Kenya Power issued periodic updates informing the public about restoration efforts.

The first breakthrough came shortly after 10:00 p.m., when the company announced that three major substations had been successfully energized.

“Lanet, Naivasha and Juja Road substations have been energised, thus some customers in Central Rift and Nairobi are expected back on supply shortly,” the utility announced.

Electricity restoration continued progressively throughout the night.

By approximately 11:30 p.m., power had returned to most parts of Mt. Kenya, North Rift, Western Kenya, South Nyanza, and sections of Nairobi.

However, several areas within the capital and parts of the Coast region—including Kilifi, Kwale, Lamu, Malindi and Taita Taveta—remained without electricity until engineers completed repairs in the early hours of Thursday.

Interestingly, not every part of the country experienced the blackout.

Counties in the North Rift, including Turkana, West Pokot, Uasin Gishu, Elgeyo Marakwet, Nandi, Trans Nzoia and Baringo, remained largely unaffected throughout the incident, with electricity supply continuing normally.

The outage nonetheless had significant economic consequences.

Businesses operating at night were forced to suspend operations, restaurants and retail outlets experienced interruptions, while households relying on electricity for cooking, communication and internet services were temporarily affected.

Essential facilities equipped with backup power systems, including hospitals and critical public infrastructure, continued operating during the interruption, although the incident once again highlighted the importance of maintaining a resilient national electricity network.

While Kenya Power has confirmed that the technical fault has been resolved, the company has not yet disclosed the specific cause of the disturbance or whether additional preventive measures will be introduced to minimize the risk of similar nationwide outages in the future.

The incident is expected to renew discussions about strengthening Kenya’s electricity transmission infrastructure as demand for reliable power continues to grow alongside the country’s expanding economy and increasing industrialization.

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Kenya Power Blames National Grid Technical Fault for Nationwide Blackout, Restores Electricity by 2 a.m.