The Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) has confirmed that one of its wind turbines at the Ngong Wind Power Facility caught fire on Tuesday afternoon.
In a statement on Wednesday, January 21, the power producer disclosed that the isolated incident occurred at approximately 1500 hours on January 20, 2026, affecting a single wind turbine at the facility.
According to KenGen, the incident occurred during scheduled routine maintenance on the turbine. The company emphasized that no injuries were sustained and all personnel on site were safely accounted for following the incident.
"The incident occurred during a period of scheduled routine maintenance. No injuries were sustained, and all personnel on site were safely accounted for following the incident, aided by established safety protocols and the prompt response of the onsite emergency team," the statement read.
KenGen revealed that the affected 0.85MW wind turbine was already offline at the time of the incident, so there was no disruption to the national grid's electricity supply.
Read More
"The affected 0.85MW wind turbine was already offline at the time of the incident. Consequently, there has been no interruption or risk to electricity supply to the national grid, and all other turbines at the facility remain fully operational," the company stated.
KenGen's safety team, working alongside relevant safety and regulatory authorities, has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the fire and assess the full extent of the damage.
"KenGen's safety team, working in collaboration with relevant safety and regulatory authorities, has commenced an investigation to establish the cause of the incident, assess the extent of damage, and identify appropriate corrective and preventive measures," the statement noted.
In videos seen by Nairobi Leo, crowds had gathered at the incident site, though they maintained a safe distance from the affected turbine.
The turbine's blades remained intact but appeared extensively burnt, with smoke still emanating from the structure, though no visible flames could be seen at the time.
