Kenya Power announces Wednesday blackout in parts of 2 counties
By Kenneth Mwenda, November 18, 2025Kenya Power has announced planned power outages on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, affecting parts of Kajiado and Kiambu counties.
The utility says the disruptions are necessary to carry out maintenance work on the electricity network.
In Kajiado, the blackout will affect areas including Amboseli and Isara. The outage is scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Specific locations to be affected include Jesbriquet, Sopa Lodge, Ngong Veg, AA Lodge, Mada Hotel, Kibo Safari, Ngong Narok Primary, Omra, Mbirikani, and parts of Simba Cement, along with adjacent customers.
In Kiambu, power will be cut from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in areas around part of Kenyatta University (KU) and China Square. Customers affected include China Square, National Oil, KU Library, KU Mortuary, KU Admin Block, and surrounding premises.
Kenya faces peak demand
The planned outages come as Kenya continues to experience high electricity demand. The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) recently reported that Kenya recorded its highest power consumption in five years, with a new peak demand of 2,316.2 megawatts (MW).
Total electricity generation rose six per cent to 14,472 gigawatt hours (GWh), driven largely by renewable energy sources such as geothermal power, which accounted for about 80 per cent of the national grid.
Household consumption rose 13.03 per cent to 3,640.32 GWh, while small commercial users recorded an 11.5 per cent increase, consuming 1,913.26 GWh. Street lighting also expanded, reflecting the government’s efforts to improve urban security and infrastructure.
Kenya is also gradually shifting to electric transport, with e-mobility consumption tripling to 5.04 GWh.
Despite the high demand, the government insists there is enough power to meet national needs. Following remarks by President William Ruto suggesting that the state has sometimes had to cut power between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. to keep the grid stable, the government moved to calm fears of widespread rationing.
Principal Secretary for Energy, Alex Wachira, said Kenya has sufficient supply, but the country lacks spinning reserve capacity. This means there is no backup plant that can instantly inject power if a major generator fails, particularly during low wind periods.