CS Murkomen Demands Probe into Possible Sabotage After Nationwide Blackout

Transport and Roads Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen claims there could be sabotage in the failure of generators to help in the power supply at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and other facilities.

A similar situation was reported in Mombasa and Eldoret airports leaving many stranded for long.

Murkomen said he has made a formal request to the National Police Service (NPS) to investigate what he terms as ‘possible acts of sabotage and cover up’.

This follows Sunday’s nationwide power outage.

The blackout, the third of its kind in three months, affected key infrastructures including JKIA where the backup generators failed to power up, Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) said.

Read: Two Generators Failed to Start Immediately, KAA Says After Blackout Amid Sabotage Probe

Murkomen took to X, formerly Twitter, saying that efforts to restore power at the international airport were underway.

Murkomen further proposed that the frequent disruption of power raises a red flag, proposing a probe into the matter and apprehending those who will be found culpable.

“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,” added Murkomen.

This is the third outage, the first outage was on August 25, while the second was on November 11.

During the outage on November 11, it took over 12 hours to restore power in most parts of the country.

In August, after Kenya Power issued a brief statement announcing a “system disturbance leading to loss of bulk power supply,” Murkomen apologized after passengers were stranded at JKIA.

Read Also: Kenyans in Darkness In Third Nationwide Blackout in Three Months

“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,” he said in a statement close to midnight.

KAA Sunday apologized to affected passengers noting that that other than Terminal 1A and 1E, the rest of the airport, including the JKIA Tower and Runway, remained fully operational.

Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) said that normalcy has been restored in Mt Kenya region, South Nyanza, Western, Central and North Rift, North Eastern and most parts of Nairobi.

And following the request by Murkomen, a team of detectives was set up to investigate both KPLC and KAA operations at large.

The team was set to visit the facilities to investigate what may have transpired prior to the blackout and after.

They will make recommendations to the CS and the Office of Public Prosecutions, officials said.