Advertisement
Fire at Musaga substation triggers blackout across 5 Western counties – Kenya Power
07th August, 2026 07:19 PM
A major fire incident at the Musaga Substation in Kakamega plunged large swathes of Western Kenya into darkness on Friday evening, August 7, 2026, disrupting power supply across five counties.
The outage, which struck during peak evening hours, affected homes, public infrastructure, and commercial operations across Kakamega, Bungoma, Busia, Siaya, and parts of Vihiga counties.
State utility supplier Kenya Power issued an alert confirming that technical teams were working to isolate the damage and restore power progressively by rerouting electricity through alternative supply lines.
“A fire incident at Musaga Substation in Kakamega has resulted in a widespread power outage affecting our customers in Kakamega, Bungoma, Busia, Siaya and parts of Vihiga counties,” the company said in a statement.
“We understand the disruption this is causing to homes and businesses. We are re-routing power through alternative supply lines to restore electricity to customers progressively as the incident at the substation is addressed.”
The cause of the fire was not immediately clear.
The Musaga Substation serves as a critical node in Western Kenya’s regional distribution grid.
The sudden loss of power grounded small businesses, hospital backup systems, and urban centers across the region just as night fell.
Kenya Power offered an apology for the breakdown, advising consumers to track restoration updates through its digital platforms and USSD customer care portals as engineers work to bring the sub-station back online.
The disruption comes amid heightened scrutiny of Kenya’s electrical infrastructure, following recent nationwide blackout.
On Wednesday evening, July 29, 2026, a three-hour widespread blackout plunged the capital and multiple key economic hubs into sudden darkness.
The major outage, which hit shortly after 8:00 pm, disrupted businesses, public transport terminals, and domestic activities across Nairobi, the Coast region, Mt. Kenya, and portions of the Central Rift.
In an initial alert issued at 9:05 pm, state utility provider Kenya Power confirmed that technical teams were troubleshooting a widespread grid failure, though the North Rift and Western regions remained largely unaffected.
“We wish to inform our esteemed customers that we are experiencing a widespread power outage affecting customers in Nairobi, Coast, Mt. Kenya and parts of Central Rift,” the utility stated during the outage on July 29, 2026.
Kenya Power Board Chair Joy Mdivo later shared what transpired inside the utility firm’s Situation Room during Wednesday night’s, July 30, 2026, nationwide blackout.
