NAIROBI, Kenya – Kenya Power and Lighting Company has issued an update after a fire at the Musaga Substation in Kakamega County disrupted electricity supply across parts of Western Kenya, affecting five counties on August 7.
In a statement, the utility company said the outage affected Kakamega, Bungoma, Busia, Siaya, and parts of Vihiga County following the fire incident at the substation.
Kenya Power issued a customer alert, informing affected customers that restoration efforts were underway and requested patience as emergency teams worked to contain the situation.
“Fire incident: Situation at Musaga Substation in Kakamega earlier this evening. Work is ongoing to restore electricity supply as soon as possible,” Kenya Power noted.
Fire disrupts supply
In a video shared by the utility, the impact of the fire incident at the power station showed critical infrastructure engulfed in flames.
Emergency teams were dispatched to contain the fire and assess damage, setting in motion efforts to restore power in the affected counties.
Restoration efforts underway
Kenya Power engineers have been working on alternative ways of supplying some of the affected areas while repairs and restoration activities continue at the substation, according to the company.
“We understand the disruption this is causing to homes and businesses. We are re-routing power through alternative supply lines to restore electricity to customers progressively as the incident at the substation is addressed. We apologise to our customers for the inconvenience caused,” Kenya Power reassured customers.
The Kenya Electricity Transmission Company has previously identified infrastructure around Musaga as part of projects aimed at strengthening electricity transmission and improving reliability in the Western region.
According to KETRACO, the planned transmission projects in the Western region aim to strengthen the network, reduce voltage instability and improve system reliability.
