Kenya Power has announced a sweeping "system maintenance" shutdown that will leave households and businesses in four key counties in the dark this Monday. Residents in Nairobi, Kisii, Nyeri, and Murang’a should brace for an eight-hour blackout as crews upgrade the aging grid.

The utility firm has scheduled the interruption from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on January 26, 2026. While KPLC frames these shutdowns as essential for grid stability and connecting new customers, for the struggling *Jua Kali* artisan or the cyber cafe owner, it means a full day of lost revenue or expensive generator fuel.

The Affected Zones

The shutdown is not a blanket blackout but targets specific feeders. Critical maintenance will involve replacing lines to facilitate road construction and substation upgrades.

• Nairobi Region: Specific estates and industrial zones (check local listings) will face downtime.
• Central & Western: Parts of Nyeri and Murang'a in the central belt, and Kisii in the west, are also on the schedule.

Kenyans are advised to charge devices and plan accordingly. In an economy digitizing faster than its power grid can handle, "maintenance Monday" is a stark reminder of the infrastructure gap still plaguing the nation.