May 2026 was the worst month for electricity interruptions in the financial year ended June, with Kenyans facing more frequent and longer power cuts, according to a new report by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA).

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

EPRA's latest report on electricity reliability shows that customers experienced an average of 4.98 power interruptions per customer in May, the highest monthly figure recorded during the year.

The month also posted the highest System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) at 27.33 hours. In simple terms, customers experienced more than a full day of power interruptions on average during the month.

May also recorded the longest average duration for an individual outage. The Customer Average Interruption Duration Index (CAIDI) stood at 5.49 hours, meaning an interruption affecting a customer lasted more than five hours on average.

📌 What You Need to Know

The poor performance in May formed part of a wider pattern recorded during the year. Across the 12 months, customers experienced an average of 13.16 hours of power interruptions, up from 9.42 hours in the previous financial year.

The annual figure was significantly above EPRA's 1.5-hour target for SAIDI. The frequency of outages was also higher than the regulator's target, with customers experiencing an average of 3.91 interruptions every month, compared with the target of 1.10 interruptions.

For many households, frequent power cuts mean more than simply sitting in the dark. An outage can interrupt cooking, studying or working from home, while homes that depend on electricity for water pumps, refrigeration and internet connectivity can face additional inconvenience.

The disruption can be even more costly for small businesses. A salon may have to stop serving customers, a restaurant may struggle to keep food refrigerated, while a workshop or small manufacturer may have to halt machines until electricity is restored.

Businesses that rely on computers, point-of-sale systems, or internet services can also lose working hours during prolonged outages. Those with backup generators and other power systems may remain operational, but at an additional cost.

The effects can extend beyond individual businesses and households because electricity supports almost every part of the economy. Manufacturing, agriculture, hospitality, transport and Kenya's growing digital economy all depend on reliable power to keep operations running.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke