Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi has detailed the causes of widespread power outages that affected several parts of Nairobi and surrounding areas following heavy rains and flooding on 6 March.
Speaking before the Senate on May 6, Wandayi said the disruptions were largely caused by flooded electrical substations and storm-related damage to power lines.
Responding to a question from Senator Beth Syengo during a Senate plenary session, Wandayi said the outages occurred at a time of intense rainfall that overwhelmed drainage systems in parts of the city.
Wandanyi Details Flooded Substations Disrupted Power Supply
The Cabinet Secretary said flooding occurred in densely built-up areas where drainage paths were blocked, allowing water to flow into and damage electricity substations.
Power facilities in Nairobi West, Industrial Area, Ridgeways, Kimathi, and Syokimau were affected by the flooding.
“Substations in areas where the surrounding built environment has constrained or obstructed water paths are vulnerable and storm water overflow to the substations. The affected substations, in this respect, were Nairobi West, Industrial Area, Ridgeways, Kimathi, and Syokimau,” noted Wandayi.
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According to Wandayi, these substations supply power to several estates and commercial zones, including South C, South B, Upper Hill, Langata Road, Industrial Area, Ridgeways, Jogoo Road, Mlolongo, Mavoko, and Katani.
Flooding caused water to enter above-ground medium-voltage switchgear, leading to electrical equipment failures and damage to power cables, resulting in extended supply interruptions in the affected areas.
Fallen Trees Damaged Power Lines
In addition to flooding, Wandayi said strong winds and storms accompanying the heavy rains caused trees growing near power lines to fall, damaging both high‑ and low‑voltage lines as well as transformers.
The outages linked to fallen trees were reported in parts of Dagoretti North, Langata, Westlands, and Ngong, further compounding the disruption to the electricity supply.
The CS explained that some sections of the power network required full reconstruction before electricity could be restored, with outage durations ranging between 12 and 72 hours, depending on the extent of the damage.
“The Ministry would like to state that since the network needed full reconstruction before the customers were powered back, the duration of the outages was between 12 hours and 72 hours, ” the Cs told the Senate.
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Floods Left a Trail of Destruction Across Nairobi
The disruptions followed heavy flooding that hit Nairobi on March 6, which caused loss of life and damage.
The National Police Service later confirmed that at least 23 people died because of the floods, with several victims swept away by fast‑moving water, while others died in electrocution incidents.
Dozens of vehicles were stranded as roads became impassable, and thousands of residents were displaced from flood‑prone neighborhoods.
Emergency responders, including the Kenya Red Cross, carried out rescue operations in areas such as Pipeline, Embakasi, Mukuru, Kibra, Mathare, Huruma, South B, and South C, while mop‑up operations continued in other affected estates and along key transport corridors.
Wandayi told the Senate that repair teams worked to restore the electricity supply by correcting faults where possible, transferring customers to alternative power sources, and applying short‑term measures while more extensive repairs were underway.
