Kenya Power has explained why most parts of the country experienced a blackout on the evening of Tuesday, December 9, 2025, sparking public uproar.
In a notice dated Tuesday, December 9, 2025, the electricity provider stated that the outage was caused by an incident on the regional Kenya–Uganda interconnected power network, which triggered a disturbance in the system.
“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.
The outage affected customers in the North Rift, parts of Western, South Nyanza, and Central Rift regions.a
Kenya Power Reveals Cause of Wednesday Night Blackout in Most Parts of the Country
Some of the affected areas included Eldoret, Nandi, Kitale, Nakuru, Naivasha, and sections of Nairobi, including Ridgeways and Kasarani.
According to the electricity supplier, power was restored to most areas within approximately 30 minutes. However, Kenya Power noted that Eldoret and the surrounding areas remained without supply, and teams were working to restore power as quickly as possible.
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The national electricity provider apologized to customers for the inconvenience caused. “We apologise to our customers in the affected areas for the inconvenience and truly appreciate your patience,” Kenya Power said.
The statement came amid public outrage over the unexpected outage.
A social media user identified as Mnyama wa South Ke wrote, “Blackout in many towns across the country. Confirm location?”
Another user, Wakili B Chebii, posted, “Blackout in some parts of Elgeyo Marakwet and Uasin Gishu County. Confirm your area!”
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A third user, Bily, asked, “Kwenu mko na stima ama ni nationwide blackout? I want to check something with Kenya Power urgently. KPLC!”
Men’s advocate Amerix jokingly commented, “Blackout. What is being smuggled through?”
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.
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In his remarks, Ruto highlighted structural challenges in the energy sector, noting the gap between rising electricity demand and limited supply. He stated that Kenya faces power shortages because demand exceeds supply, leading to electricity rationing between 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. in some regions.
Ruto explained that load shedding is necessary to prevent a nationwide blackout.
“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.
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