The nationwide electricity blackout on the evening Friday, August 25, occasioned calls for scrutiny of the mode of operation at the country's power utility company.
The Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) attributed the unforeseen outage to a system disturbance that disrupted supply across the country.
Several quarters gave varied diagnoses of what could have led to the outage with fingers pointing at the operatives at the utility firm.
Nairobi senator Edwin Sifuna implied a lack of transparency at the KPLC is ailing it.
According to him, some power producers are locked out of the national grid, leaving only a few to trade in electricity bringing forth the question of unreliability.
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He revealed that in his tenure in the Senate departmental committee on energy, he learned that the KPLC opts for expensive energy suppliers while those with cheap rates are turned down.
"We heard testimony from cheaper green energy generators being “curtailed” (essentially being told not to supply) with the dispatcher opting for electricity from more expensive thermal generators," he said.
Sifuna said he would be seeking a relook into the Energy Act to bring transparency out of which all merited power producers can added on the grid.
However, economist David Ndii defended the KPLC saying its engagements with power producers are tied to merit, and also the viability of the power purchasing agreements with the producers.
He said no amendment would be needed to enforce transparency in the electricity sector as that had already been envisioned in the Kenya Kwanza manifesto.
He also stated that the Energy Regulatory Commission is already charged with scrutinizing the utility firm's business(es) with power generators, both thermal and green energy.
"We welcome engagement on transparency and consumer protection. It a commitment in the Plan. We don’t think a new law is necessary. ERC already has the power to do it. You will be disappointed. The dispatchers hand is tied by merit order dictated by the “take or pay” PPAs," he said.
Meanwhile, Energy Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir and Kenya Power and KPLC CEO Joseph Siror will be appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Energy.
The committee under the stewardship of Mwala MP Vincent Musyoka wants the duo to explain the complacency in their respective offices as regards the nationwide blackout on Friday.
The lawmakers appeared disturbed by the electricity outage that adversely affected operations at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
The airport is known to be the busiest in East and Central Africa, and a business hub for the region.
"The chairman has directed that we summon the CS Energy together with the CEO KPLC on Thursday to explain the cause of the current nationwide black out which has paralysed the nation, including the International Airport," partly read a communication from the committee.
Chirchir and Siror will face the committee on Thursday, August 31.
