Summoning of Energy CS and Kenya Power CEO: Probe into Major Blackout
Members of Parliament have summoned Energy Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir and Kenya Power CEO Joseph Siror regarding Friday’s nationwide blackout.
On Friday night, Kenyans reported power disruptions in the majority of the nation, particularly in Nairobi, Mombasa, and the Central, and Western regions.
The Energy Committee of the National Assembly wants the two to appear before them on Thursday with a detailed explanation of what caused the outage that affected even the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), East Africa’s busiest airport and main hub, where passengers were left stranded until power was restored on Friday.
“The chairman has ordered us to summon CS Energy and the CEO of KPLC on Thursday to explain the cause of the current nationwide blackout, which has paralyzed the country, including the International Airport,” reads a message sent by the committee secretariat.
The committee, convened by Mwala MP Vincent Musyoka, stated that it was embarrassing for the country’s international airport to be completely dark and that the responsible authorities should provide an explanation.
The committee, which is in Mombasa to write a report on the high cost of electricity in the country, stated that it would have convened the two earlier if it had not yet finalized the report it is drafting.
ALSO READ: Kenya Power Updates Nationwide Outage
The majority of MPs wanted the CS to appear before them on Monday to discuss the blackout, but the committee has yet to finalize its report on the high cost of electricity; the draft is anticipated to be finished today.
In a statement released on Friday night, Kenya Power attributed the disruption that resulted in the loss of power to large portions of the country to a system disturbance.
The Kenya Power statement reads, “We are collaborating with teams from all involved sector partners to facilitate the quickest possible restoration of power.”
Kipchumba Murkomen is scheduled to address the media at JKIA on Saturday, following a meeting with Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) representatives.
A few hours after the outages, power was restored in parts of Central Kenya, with the remainder of the country receiving power on Saturday morning. A few areas continue to experience a disruption.
Summoning of Energy CS and Kenya Power CEO: Probe into Major Blackout
