Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary, Davis Chirchir, clarified the reason behind the nationwide power blackout that affected Kenya on Sunday evening. Chirchir attributed the blackout to an overload issue between Kisumu and Muhoroni, which led to the powerlines dropping.

During a press conference, CS Chirchir explained that the country had secured a loan from South Korea and initiated a tender for the construction of a new power line in Western Kenya. The overload problem, he noted, could be swiftly addressed, contrasting it with more complex issues.

"We know the problem. We learnt it was an overload, and we felt good because we can fix that problem very quickly unlike when it is a hit," stated Davis Chirchir.

Assuring the public, Chirchir expressed the ministry's commitment to resolving the recurrent power incidents, acknowledging it as a matter of concern for the country.

“We are aware that there was a power blackout yesterday, and the question we are now asking is, why so frequently? It is a challenge we are ashamed of as a country, and we must address it,” he added.

The country has witnessed three nationwide power outages in the past three months, with Kenya Power categorizing them as system disturbances.

“We have lost electricity supply to various parts of the country due to a suspected fault affecting the power system," read a statement from Kenya Power.

The impact of Sunday's outage extended to various sectors, affecting operations at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and Eldoret Airport, where backup generators failed to function.