Frequent electricity outages across Kisii County are disrupting businesses, causing financial losses and undermining investment and economic growth, traders have said.
Business owners say the unreliable power supply has become one of the biggest obstacles to operating their enterprises, with repeated blackouts damaging equipment, interrupting operations and driving away customers.
From welding workshops and salons to cyber cafés, butcheries, posho mills and retail shops, traders say they lose valuable business hours whenever electricity goes off unexpectedly. Many have been forced to invest in costly backup power sources or scale down their operations.
In Kisii town, salon owner Eunice Nyanchama said constant outages have made it difficult to serve customers efficiently.
“When electricity goes off, our hair dryers, sterilisers and other equipment become useless. Customers cannot wait for hours, so many leave without being served. We end up losing both time and income,” she said.
Welder Samuel Nyabuto said fabrication businesses are among the hardest hit because their operations rely entirely on electricity.
“Our machines cannot run without power. Every blackout means unfinished work, delayed deliveries and dissatisfied customers. Sometimes we spend the whole day waiting for electricity to be restored,” he said.
The problem is even more severe in outlying trading centres, where traders say outages often last much longer than in the county headquarters.
In Masimba Trading Centre in Masaba South, business owners said blackouts can persist for several hours or even days, especially when transformers develop mechanical faults, forcing many to close their shops before the end of the day.
“Power can disappear in the morning and return late in the evening. We lose an entire day’s business because we cannot operate our refrigerators, posho mills or welding machines,” said trader James Onchiri.
At Nyacheki, cyber café operators, barbers and mobile money agents said unreliable electricity has become a daily frustration, with customers abandoning queues whenever power fails.
In Ogembo, traders dealing in milk, meat and cold drinks said prolonged outages increase the risk of spoilage, forcing them to spend more on ice and fuel for generators to preserve stock.
Business owners in Magena voiced similar concerns, saying frequent interruptions have discouraged investment, with some entrepreneurs shelving expansion plans because they cannot rely on a stable electricity supply.
The traders said the situation has been compounded by rising electricity bills, leaving businesses paying more for what they describe as an unreliable service.
In recent months, consumers have faced higher monthly electricity charges driven by fuel energy costs, foreign exchange fluctuations, inflation adjustments and water resource levies, further increasing the cost of doing business even as outages persist.
Economists warn that unreliable electricity discourages investment, reduces productivity and raises production costs as businesses increasingly depend on expensive generators and alternative energy sources.
Trader Walter Mongare urged the government and Kenya Power to improve the reliability of electricity supply, saying dependable power is essential for economic growth.
“Electricity is the engine of commerce. Without a stable supply, businesses cannot expand, investors lose confidence and jobs are put at risk. Reliable power is just as important as affordable power,” he said.
The traders are now calling on the government, energy regulators and Kenya Power to strengthen the electricity distribution network, particularly in rural trading centres where outages are most frequent and prolonged.
They warned that unless the situation improves, many small and medium-sized enterprises will continue to struggle, slowing business growth, reducing employment opportunities and undermining economic development across Kisii County.
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