- The company said water levels in the dam, located in the Seven Forks Cascade, will remain high for most parts of May 2024.
- KenGen noted that all its large hydropower dams in the Seven Forks have reached full supply capacity.
Image: FILE
Water at Masinga Dam, Kenya’s largest hydro power generating dam, has risen to the highest level ever recorded in history, Kenya Electricity Generating Company has announced.
KenGen said the 1,058.22 metres above sea level surpasses the previous record of 1,058.13 last recorded in May 2020.
The full supply level of the dam is 1,056.50 meters, is the leading electricity generation company in the Eastern Africa region.
“This upsurge is attributed to a significant increase in the amount of water currently flowing into the dam averaging more than 850m3 per second over the last week caused by heavy rainfall in the catchment area,” KenGen said in a statement.
The company said water levels in the dam, located in the Seven Forks Cascade, will remain high for most parts of May 2024 as the ongoing rains persist as forecasted by the Kenya Meteorological Department.
KenGen noted that all its large hydropower dams in the Seven Forks have reached full supply capacity and now hold a combined volume of more than 2.6 billion cubic meters against a total flow from River Tana estimated at 5 billion cubic meters.
Other dams in the Seven Forks Cascade are Kamburu, Gitaru, Kindaruma, and Kiambere.
“The Seven Forks dams hold the bulk of the water flowing from River Tana, way more than half the volume, which would otherwise be flooding areas downstream of the dams thereby reducing the damage caused by the ongoing rains,” said KenGen’s managing director and CEO, Eng. Peter Njenga.
He assured Kenyans about the safety of the dams saying they were built with all the safety features to withstand the high pressures of water allaying the risk of the dams bursting their banks.
“We constantly monitor our dams’ structure and would wish to assure all Kenyans that the dam safety measures we have put in place along with our disaster preparedness help allay risks of the water breaching the walls of the dams,” Njenga said.
He noted that following the rains, KenGen has stepped up power generation from its large hydropower stations giving a reprieve to electricity consumers in Kenya.
According to reports by EPRA released on April 29, against a peak demand of 2,033MW KenGen contributed 36.5 per cent while geothermal accounted for 32 per cent boosting the company’s share to more than 70 per cent of the total power consumed in Kenya.
"In November 2023, KenGen predicted that Masinga Dam was likely to reach full supply capacity and overflow in April 2024, which has come to pass," KenGen said.
At that time, KenGen issued an early warning to communities living near the dams and rivers to relocate and move to higher grounds to avoid loss of lives and property.
“We thank those who took our warning seriously and moved to safer zones and urge those still residing near the dams and river Tana to heed the Government’s call and move to safer grounds,” Njenga said.
He added that communities residing in Mbondoni location, Kithecu, and Menguthe villages are particularly at risk.
“Given the current circumstances, we must prioritise the safety and well-being of our citizens,” he said.