Kenya Power has announced a scheduled electricity interruption affecting homes and businesses in 10 counties this Tuesday, December 2, for routine system maintenance. The utility company stated the outage is necessary to conduct network upgrades and will last for approximately eight hours, beginning at 9:00 AM EAT.

The planned blackout is set to disrupt daily life for thousands, from small business owners relying on power for their operations to families managing their household routines. The move is part of Kenya Power's ongoing efforts to improve the reliability and stability of the national grid.

Nairobi and Mount Kenya Regions Brace for Outages

In the capital, Nairobi, the outage will affect the upscale Riverside area, impacting residences, businesses, and diplomatic missions, including the Ugandan and German High Commissions. Parts of the Obama estate will also be without power.

Counties in the Mount Kenya region are also on the list. In Nyeri, areas including Rongai, Narumoro Girls, and Kiriani Town will be affected. Kiambu County will see interruptions in Escarpment, Kimende Town, and surrounding areas, including the Carbacid Factory.

Western and Rift Valley Impact

The maintenance will extend to Western Kenya, with parts of Kakamega County, including Shiatsala Market and Manyulia, scheduled for the day-long outage. In the Rift Valley, Kericho and Bomet counties will experience interruptions. Affected areas in Kericho include Kaitui Market and Soko Huru, while in Bomet, the outage will hit Olpisiai and Lolgorian.

Other affected counties include:

• Makueni: The whole of Emali Town and surrounding markets like Kalamba and Nziu will be impacted.
• Taita Taveta: Areas around Nyache Primary School are scheduled for the outage.
• Kilifi: Parts of Kanamai and Malindi, including numerous hotels and resorts along the coast, will be affected.

Kenya Power has advised customers in the listed locations to prepare for the disruption and to treat all power lines as live for safety, even during the outage period. The company noted that the maintenance is crucial for preventing future unplanned blackouts and ensuring a more stable power supply.