Kenya is experiencing a nationwide power outage after a high-voltage transmission line connecting the capital broke, state-controlled utility Kenya Power said on Tuesday.

Kenya Power said the blackout occurred after towers supporting a high-voltage power line connecting the capital to the Kiambere hydroelectric dam collapsed.

“We have lost power supply due to collapsed towers on Kiambere-Embakasi high voltage transmission power line at 10.45am (9.45am SAST),” Kenya Power said in a statement on its Twitter account. “Our engineers are working to restore electricity supply as the repairs are being undertaken.”

A company spokesman confirmed the outage was nationwide.

Kenya Power is the country’s sole electricity distributor and the bulk of its power comes from Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen).

In May 2020, Kenya experienced a similar nationwide outage after a section of a high-voltage power line that transmits power to Nairobi from the Olkaria geothermal power plants, some 75km from Nairobi, broke.

In late December, a section of another transmission line known as Loyaingalani-Suswa, collapsed, knocking out some power supply from the grid and leading to power rationing in some parts of the country while it was being repaired. — George Obulutsa, (c) 2022 Reuters

Update: Kenya Power said in a statement on its Twitter account that as of 1.14pm SAST, power had been restored in Nairobi and many other parts of the East African nation