Most parts of the country were plunged into darkness in a widespread power outage on Wednesday night, with Kenya Power later confirming the first nationwide blackout of the year.

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According to Kenya Power, the power outage affected large area in Nairobi, the Coast, Mt Kenya and parts of the Central Rift.

The blackout was first reported at around 8:30pm, with thousands of customers taking to social media to report electricity outages in various parts of the country as businesses, transport services and households were disrupted.

Kenyans.co.ke established that most parts of Nairobi's Central Business District were without electricity, save for a few buildings operating on backup generators.

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Commuters using the Nairobi Railway Station and the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) station also reported power outages, with videos seen by this publication confirming the disruption.

At the heart of the CBD, most businesses were forced to close early, particularly those along Kenyatta Avenue, Moi Avenue and Tom Mboya Street, as darkness engulfed the city centre.

A spot check by Kenyans.co.ke found major roads in the CBD in chaos after traffic lights went off, forcing county marshals and police officers to direct traffic and ease heavy congestion.

The outages were not limited to Nairobi. Residents along Thika Road, including Kahawa Sukari, also reported losing electricity, while similar reports emerged from parts of Kiambu, Nakuru and Shanzu in Mombasa.

In the bustling Nairobi suburb of Ongata Rongai, residents also reported a blackout.  However, some neighbourhoods, including most parts of Lang'ata and Kayole, remained on supply.

In a customer alert issued at 9:05pm, Kenya Power said it was experiencing a widespread power outage affecting customers in Nairobi, the Coast, Mt Kenya and parts of the Central Rift, adding that parts of the North Rift and Western regions were still receiving electricity.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke