It is disconcerting that Kenya is so casually getting used to power outages, a phenomenon rarely witnessed in the last decade.

What is worse is that these are coming at a time when the Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) is operating at optimal capacity and various dams used to produce power are virtually brimming over with water.

Kenya also has a host of independent power suppliers who charge an arm and a leg whether the electricity they produce is consumed or not. The public, therefore, is unwilling to entertain either outages or scheduled rationing as has been so brazenly proposed. That discussion is off the table.

A time comes when it becomes necessary to draw the red line. With regard to electricity, that time is now.
It does not make sense for the country to be experiencing outages, a trend exposing manufacturers to untold losses arising from disruption of production processes.

Electricity consumption data has consistently demonstrated that when power supply is regular and guaranteed, the economy grows steadily. It is, therefore, in the government’s interest to ensure there are no disruptions in supply if it is serious about growing the economy.

A steady supply of electricity also signals to investors that the country is stable and they can put their money in ventures that can create jobs. But when it becomes erratic, as it is now, it sends a bad signal to both local and foreign investors.

There are things the government can take for granted.

However, electricity is not one of them because, in addition to the economy, electricity also has national security implications. Once criminals realise that the power supply is not guaranteed, crime incidents will automatically go up, especially in poor urban neighbourhoods, given that the economic wellbeing of dwellers there remains vulnerable.

Whereas it is noteworthy that the Cabinet has directed that measures be put in place to normalise supply, this is not enough. The commitment must be backed by action on the ground, and where lapses are found, stern measures ought to be meted out against the officers responsible.

The government must not get comfortable with these supply glitches. Relevant agencies must be put to task to step up to the plate and discharge their mandate.