Kenya Power explains cause of early morning blackout in areas served by Ruaraka substation
By Katemarthason Okudo, September 20, 2026Kenya Power has explained that an early morning power outage in areas supplied by the Ruaraka Substation on Sunday, September 20, 2026, was caused by the collapse of a transmission tower on the Naivasha-Juja 132kV double-circuit line.
The company said the tower collapsed at around 3:00 a.m., affecting electricity supply to customers who receive power through the Ruaraka Substation.
In a statement shared on its official X page, Kenya Power said the tower was brought down through vandalism. Its teams then redirected power through other substations as they worked to restore electricity to the affected areas.
Power was restored to all affected customers by about 4:30 a.m., around one-and-a-half hours after the incident.
Items recovered at scene
Kenya Power said items recovered at the scene suggested that the suspected vandals were still present when the transmission tower collapsed. The company did not disclose the specific items recovered or indicate whether any suspects had been arrested by the time of its statement.
Its security team is working together with the police as investigations continue to establish what happened and identify those responsible. Meanwhile, Kenya Power’s transmission and Airmobile teams have started restoration work on the damaged infrastructure.
The incident highlights the risk that damage to major electricity infrastructure can have on power supply, particularly where a transmission line serves several areas.
Vandalism incidents rise
Kenya Power said the latest incident comes amid a sharp increase in vandalism targeting electricity infrastructure. The company reported a 200 per cent increase in vandalism incidents over the last three months. During the period, 37 transformers were also vandalised.
Such incidents can affect households, businesses and other electricity users because damaged equipment may take time to repair or replace.
Kenya Power has previously warned that vandalism can also expose members of the public to serious safety risks. In a separate case, the company said vandalism of underground power cables not only disrupted supply but also posed a danger to people working around the affected infrastructure.
Vandalism is an offence
Vandalism of energy installations is prohibited under Kenya’s Energy Act. The law classifies the wilful vandalism or attempted vandalism of energy installations and infrastructure as an economic crime.
Under Section 169 of the Energy Act, a person convicted of vandalising or attempting to vandalise energy infrastructure is liable to a fine of at least Ksh5 million, imprisonment for 10 years, or both.
Investigations into the Ruaraka Substation incident are ongoing as restoration teams work on the damaged transmission infrastructure.