Power hitch disrupts business in Nairobi CBD, major towns
A power transmission sub-station. PHOTO | FILE
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A spot-check by the Business Daily showed the blackout had paralysed operations in several government agencies, including Treasury building where non-staff were denied entry.
Businesses in Nairobi’s city centre, Mombasa, Nyeri and Malindi were on Tuesday morning disrupted following a power blackout caused by a hitch at the Dandora substation in Nairobi.
The power cut forced businesses to turn to their standby diesel-fired generators, often an expensive affair.
Kenya Power general manager for network management Benson Muriithi said the firm had by noon restored supply to parts of Nairobi’s central business district with efforts ongoing to reconnect other affected parts.
“Our engineers are currently engaged in the restoration process with parts of the city back on supply,” said Mr Muriithi.
“Everything is being done to minimise the duration of the interruption, we expect to have normal supplies in a couple of hours,” he added in a statement.
A substation converts electricity coming from plants through high voltage transmission lines– 120 kilovolts (kV) or above – to lower voltage for distribution to homes, industries and businesses.
A spot-check by the Business Daily showed the blackout had paralysed operations in several government agencies, including Treasury building where non-staff were denied entry pending restoration of electricity supply.
The blackout also affected Nairobi’s Eastlands estate and Thika town.
