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Wednesday, October 18, 2023 –Kenya Power and Lighting KPLC Company has come out to clarify why electricity around the country goes on and off whenever there it is raining.
Speaking during an exclusive interview on Citizen Tv on Tuesday October 18, Kenya Power Chief Executive Officer Joseph Siror, explained that frequent power blackouts are consistent with rains because of disturbances that occur with their supply lines anytime it is raining heavy.
“When it rains heavily, it can cause trees to fall on the line, and it causes a short circuit, thereby causing a disturbance on the network
“Sometimes rains are accompanied by strong winds which have an effect on the conductors and cause a disturbance,” Siror explained.
Siror explained that a short circuit may be caused by stormy rains swaying trees or power lines, bringing them into contact.
Additionally, the CEO explained how strong surface runoff water can also destabilise power poles during heavy rainfall hence the blackouts being witnessed in the country.
“Rain does a number of things. There is the aspect of lightning which is part of the factors but in certain installations like the poles and pylons and we have a situation where during heavy rains, some of them are washed away,” he added.
The CEO was responding to questions over the ongoing frequent blackouts amid fears of El Nino rainfall in Iarobi and many parts of the nation.
Other reasons explained in educational research materials indicate that lightning is also a major factor in power outages as ‘the transient high voltages may cause flashover on the electrical equipment on the power line.’
Todate KPLC remains the sole distributor of electricity in the country despite many years of complaints from its clients.
Apart from inflated power bills, the utility provider has been accused of power blackouts every now and then; something that consumers link to monopoly.
