- Power outage at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi.
- Caused by system disturbance.
- Passengers stranded used mobile phone torches.
The Transport Minister of Kenya has issued an apology following a significant electricity outage that occurred the previous night, causing passengers at the primary airport in Nairobi to struggle in the absence of light.
At 9:45 pm (18:45 GMT) on Friday, a power outage affected numerous areas across the country. Kenya Power, the electricity distribution company, reported that the disruption was a result of a “system disturbance.”
Video footage from local broadcaster NTV depicted passengers gathering around the main terminal of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in darkness, with some resorting to using mobile phone torches for illumination.
Tourism plays a crucial role in Kenya’s economy, and stranded travelers swiftly shared images on social media showcasing the airport’s blackout.
Kenya Airports Authority (KAA), responsible for airport operations, stated that one of its backup generators designed to power the terminal failed to activate after the power grid went down.
Transport Minister Kipchumba Murkomen stated in a televised news conference on Saturday that the generators responsible for the flight control tower and airport runway functioned seamlessly throughout the incident. He assured that neither passengers nor airplanes were jeopardized by the power outage.
“I wish to issue an unreserved apology to all travellers and airport users who were affected in one way or another by the power disruption,” Murkomen said.
The national carrier, Kenya Airways, did not provide an immediate response when asked for a comment.
Minister Murkomen announced that the board of Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) had decided to end the contract of Managing Director Alex Gitari and named Henry Ogoye as the interim leader.
Additionally, the role of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport’s (JKIA) manager, Abel Gogo, was shifted to oversee a different airport, and Selina Gor was appointed as his replacement.
KAA will move to swiftly put into service two generators that were already procured, Murkomen said, to ensure the incident does not recur.
Kenya Power reported that it managed to reinstate electricity supply to the airport after a lapse of five hours from the commencement of the incident. However, a considerable number of residences and businesses remained without power even after more than 15 hours had elapsed since the onset of the blackout.
Although Kenya does experience occasional widespread power failures, it is uncommon for these blackouts to impact airport operations. There have been no records of such occurrences in recent times.
Kenya primarily derives its energy from renewable sources, yet challenges related to infrastructure and alleged mismanagement persist in the nation, which has a population of approximately 55 million people.
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