Kenya Power Exposes Regional Grid Glitch Behind Massive Blackout Chaos
Kenya Power has pinpointed a disruption on the Kenya-Uganda interconnected power network as the trigger for a widespread blackout that hit multiple regions on the evening of December 9, 2025.
The outage, starting at 7:14 p.m., affected areas like North Rift, Western Kenya, South Nyanza, Central Rift, Eldoret, Nandi, Kitale, Nakuru, Naivasha, and parts of Nairobi including Ridgeways and Kasarani.
“At 7:14 p.m. this evening, an incident on the regional Kenya–Uganda interconnected power network caused a disturbance on our system, resulting in a widespread power outage,” read part of the notice.
Power returned to most spots within 30 minutes, though Eldoret lingered longer as teams rushed fixes .
Incident Breakdown
The fault rippled from the regional grid, causing a system wide disturbance rather than a local failure .
Kenya Power issued a public notice on December 9, apologizing for the disruption and praising customer patience amid the uproar .
“We apologize to our customers in the affected areas for the inconvenience and truly appreciate your patience,” Kenya Power said.
Social media buzzed with confirmations from users in Elgeyo Marakwet, Uasin Gishu, and beyond, amplifying calls for reliability .
Bigger Picture on Power Woes
President William Ruto recently addressed Kenya’s ongoing power outages, terming them “load shedding” during a meeting with Kenyans living in Doha, Qatar, on the sidelines of the United Nations Second World Summit for Social Development on November 5, 2025
This event echoes ongoing challenges, including President Ruto’s notes on demand outpacing supply, prompting evening load shedding from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. in high-use zones .
“In Kenya, load shedding is required between 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. Because we don’t have enough energy, we have to turn off the power in certain places to power others,” he said.
Recent maintenance schedules in 10 counties and prior faults like the Tanzania-Kenya interconnector loss highlight grid vulnerabilities.
New regulations from Energy CS Opiyo Wandayi mandate compensation for negligence induced outages, pushing accountability.
Monitor Kenya Power’s updates via official channels for real-time alerts. Invest in backups like solar inverters for critical needs during peaks.
Report persistent issues promptly to speed resolutions. Kenya Power’s transparency aids public trust, but sustained infrastructure upgrades remain key to curbing “mysterious” blackouts