Energy cabinet secretary Davis Chirchir has revealed the cause of frequent power outages in the country.
Speaking during a press briefing in Nairobi on Monday, December 11, Chirchir noted that the power outages were caused by overloading the power line due to lack of an update on the network system.
The Energy CS added that the Ministry has not updated the power network system due to financial constraints.
“We know where the problem is but we lack investment in the network overtime, this is what is hitting us.
“We’ve pushed last mile connectivity and we haven’t built the network and now we have overloads,” said Chirchir.
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He explained that the powerline between Kisumu and Muhoroni was meant to carry 80 megawatts, but there was need for 20 megawatts more hence the overload.
“Transmission failed due to system constraints, we don’t have the facility for the power needs in the country,” he said.
The Energy CS said he can’t promise there won’t be a repeat of the blackout, because there’s a huge gap between power supply and demand.
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However he noted that there is immediate action being taken to ensure 24 hour power availability at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
“Network failure caused by power outages will be serviced for the next 20 months, the lines are overloaded.
“We are fast tracking this process as best as we can but it will need significant investment,” he said.
In addition, Chirchir disclosed that the Ministry was working on power storage systems to provide voltage stability.
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“We have challenges in generation and storage, these are our priority areas,” he noted.
He added that the government will have mitigation measures in place before the alternative 90km powerlines in Western Kenya; which needs an additional 200kw that the current lines cannot support.
