- JKIA faces third power outage in three months; backup generators fail initially
- Murkomen calls for police probe into possible sabotage, emphasizing accountability
- KAA apologizes, assures operational continuity despite recurrent power disruptions
Transport and Roads Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has formally requested the National Police Service to investigate what he deems ‘possible acts of sabotage and cover-up’ following a nationwide power outage that plunged Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) into darkness on Sunday evening.
Transport and Roads Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen
The blackout, marking the third occurrence in as many months, impacted critical infrastructures, with the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) reporting a failure of backup generators at JKIA.
Amidst growing concerns and criticism from the public, CS Murkomen took to X, formerly Twitter, stating, “Changeover to the standby generators ensured power was immediately restored to most parts of JKIA. Regrettably, supply did not immediately resume at terminals 1A and 1E.”
He led a team, including Transport Principal Secretary Mohamed Daghar, KAA Chairman Caleb Kositany, and Managing Director Henry Ogoye, to assess the situation at JKIA.
Murkomen emphasized the need for a thorough investigation into the recurring power disruptions, proposing, “In the meantime, the cleanup of the mess at JKIA continues. The KAA Board is under strict instructions to carry on with the reform agenda, and the management to implement, as directed, the report of the technical committee which I recently constituted.”
This marks the third outage, with previous incidents occurring on August 25 and November 11. During the November 11 outage, it took over 12 hours to restore power across most parts of the country.
In August, Murkomen apologized after passengers were stranded at JKIA, stating, “I am really sorry for what has happened. There is no excuse worth reporting, and there is no reason why our airport is in darkness.”
KAA has apologized to affected passengers, noting that, aside from Terminals 1A and 1E, the rest of the airport, including the JKIA Tower and Runway, remained fully operational. Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) reported that normalcy has been restored in Mt Kenya region, South Nyanza, Western, Central and North Rift, North Eastern, and most parts of Nairobi.
