Kenya Power has announced widespread electricity interruptions set for Thursday, January 22, as the utility rolls out planned maintenance that will affect parts of six counties, including Nairobi and key agricultural and commercial hubs in the Rift Valley and Central regions.
The outages are expected to begin as early as 9:00 AM and extend through 5:00 PM in some locations, leaving homes and businesses without power for much of the working day. Kenya Power said the shutdowns are required to carry out essential system maintenance aimed at repairing worn transmission lines and reducing the risk of unplanned failures later.
Counties and neighborhoods affected
In the capital, residents of Nairobi South B will be among those hit, with power set to be switched off in areas around Mpweke Lane and sections of Kapiti Road. The interruption there is expected to last up to eight hours.
Outside Nairobi, the maintenance work will disrupt electricity supply in several counties. In Nyandarua, towns and trading centers including Engineer, Ndunyu Njeru, and Njambini are listed for the blackout. Parts of neighboring Nyeri County will also be affected during the same window.
Kenya Power has further indicated that selected areas in Uasin Gishu, Nandi, and Kirinyaga counties are included in the Thursday maintenance schedule, though specific localities in those regions were not detailed in the notice.
Economic strain during maintenance window
While the utility frames the exercise as an upgrade to improve reliability, the timing poses challenges for small enterprises that depend on continuous electricity. Welding shops in Nairobi neighborhoods, dairy cooling operations in Nyandarua, and cyber cafes across affected towns are expected to lose a full day of productivity.
Kenya Power advised customers in the listed areas to plan ahead and charge essential devices before the outage begins. For many residents and business owners, the routine maintenance has become a familiar disruption in an economy where dependable power supply remains critical but uneven.
