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Power interrupted as substations flood following heavy rainfall

Two submerged substations located in Nairobi West and Karen were switched off to protect equipment from possible damage and for safety reasons/FILE

Two submerged substations located in Nairobi West and Karen were switched off to protect equipment from possible damage and for safety reasons/FILE

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 13 – Following the heavy rains on Tuesday, electricity supply to parts of Nairobi was interrupted in various estates after two Kenya Power substations were flooded.

In a statement, the Company’s Infrastructure Development General Manager Benson Muriithi, indicated that the two submerged substations located in Nairobi West and Karen were switched off to protect equipment from possible damage and for safety reasons.

“Areas affected by the switch-off include sections of Langata, Hardy Estate, Bogani Road, Magadi Road, Bomas of Kenya area, South C Estate, South B Estate, Nairobi West, Parts of Industrial Area, Madaraka Estate and parts of Upper Hill,” he stated.

Muriithi said the Company evacuated four families of employees living within the Nairobi West substation to safety following the incident.

“The good news is that much of the waters have receded in both substations by this morning; our engineers will later assess and test equipment later before restoring supplies in the course of day,” he said.

In the meantime, hundreds of Nairobi motorists spent the night on highways after floods rendered most roads impassable.

There was heavy traffic snarl ups that went late into the night, with flood waters cutting off most roads.

Areas worst affected included Mombasa Road, South C, Ngong Road, Industrial Area as well as Eastleigh.

Kenyans on social media posted images taken at night when vehicles were stuck in various parts of the city.

So serious was the situation that people were getting home from as late as 3 am.

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School buses ferrying children home were also stuck on traffic until late hours, raising serious concerns on the state of Nairobi drainage system and road network.

The Nairobi County government said it has commenced the process of refurbishing the drainage system in the city.

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