CS Chirchir Reveals Technical Hitch That Triggered Nationwide Blackout

Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary (CS) Davis Chirchir has attributed the latest nationwide blackout on Sunday, December 10 to an overload along the Kisumu- Muhoroni line.

Speaking to the press on Monday, December 11, the CS revealed that the overload was a result of the sudden demand for power supply, which caused the powerlines to drop, triggering the blackout which occurred twice hours apart.

Specifically, the transmission line which is designed to carry 80 megawatts was under pressure from 149 megawatts which resulted in an overload causing the blackout.

Blackout at JKIA on December 10, 2023. /X

"We know where the problem is. Sometimes the network trips when it's overloaded and we felt good because we can fix that problem very quickly unlike when it is a hit. We're addressing the challenges. It's bound to happen again. 

"Yesterday it was caused by an overload between Kisumu and Muhoroni when there was sudden demand," stated the CS.

Chirchir assured that the government was working to conclusively crack down on the constant power blackouts which he said had brought shame to the country.

Kenya has experienced four nationwide power blackouts this year alone, two of them occurring on Sunday night.

“We are aware that there was a power blackout yesterday, and the question we are now asking is, why so frequently? It is a challenge we are ashamed of as a country, and we must address it” he added. 

The CS also revealed that Kenya had taken a loan from South Korea and floated a tender to construct a new power line for Western Kenya.

At the same time, he exposed one key shortfall that has prevented the government from building a network in seven years while investing in connecting customers and building industries.

“We have continued to connect customers on the last mile, we have continued to build industries and we have not built a network in the last six, seven years and there is much constrain in the transmission of electricity from where it is generated and sometimes the network drips when it is overloaded,” said Chirchir.

Chirchir consequently revealed that the government will build a new substation between Narok and Bomet to relieve capacity on the Muhoroni - Kisumu line.

"We will build an alternative line to support the west of Kenya from Olkaria through Narok and Bomet to Awendo to be able to support the transmission, remove the constraints, and improve the capacity of carrying more megawatts to the western part of the country where we don’t have many generations,” he added.