NAIROBI, July 29, 2026 — Thousands of Kenyans were left stranded and businesses disrupted after a major power blackout swept across large parts of the country on Wednesday night, plunging key towns and cities into darkness.
The outage, which began at around 8:30 p.m., affected several parts of Nairobi, including the Central Business District, where many buildings were forced to rely on backup generators while others remained completely dark.
The blackout also disrupted operations at the Nairobi Railway Station and the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) Station, with passengers reporting temporary power loss as concerns mounted over the extent of the outage.
Residential estates along Thika Road, including Kahawa Sukari, Huruma and Mathare North, were among the areas that experienced the sudden electricity interruption.
Along Mombasa road the areas affected are South B estate, Imara Daima, Pipeline Estate, Tassia, Nyayo Estate, Fedha and Donholm along outering road.
The power failure was not limited to the capital. Residents in parts of Nakuru and Shanzu in Mombasa also reported being affected, raising fears of a nationwide electricity system disruption.
However, some neighbourhoods escaped the blackout, with electricity remaining stable in sections of Lang’ata and Kayole.
In a statement issued later in the evening, Kenya Power confirmed that a widespread outage had affected customers in Nairobi, the Coast region, Mt. Kenya and parts of the Central Rift, while electricity supply remained stable in parts of the North Rift and Western Kenya.
The utility company said its engineers had been dispatched to identify the cause of the outage and restore power as quickly as possible, while apologising to customers for the inconvenience.
The unexpected blackout sparked concern among residents, with many taking to social media to share their experiences and seek updates as they awaited the restoration of electricity