Power blackouts at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) are now a thing of the past, Roads Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has announced.
Murkomen said the leadership of Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) and Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) have assured him that blackouts will not be reported at the country’s main airport again.
The CS was given the assurance when he met the team to receive a status update on the improvements being undertaken at JKIA on Tuesday.
He said the airport has replaced the time-based system with a logic-based system that will allow a seamless transition to backup power during blackouts.
“Manual interventions have also been put in place, faulty control systems rectified, cabling systems expanded, and inverters installed to avert blackouts at the airport by allowing a 15-second transition time,” he explained.
The meeting was attended by Transport PS Mohamed Daghar, KAA acting Managing Director Henry Ogoye, KCAA Managing Director Emile Arao, and Director Air Transport Nicholas Bodo, among others.
JKIA has been on the spot recently over several power blackouts that have disrupted operations at the facility.
The airport was also in the limelight after a video emerged in November of leaking roofs at the terminals.
In the video shared widely on social media, rainwater is seen pouring on the JKIA foyers and hallways from the terminal roofs as travellers queued to either have their luggage checked or book tickets.
On August 25, 2023, JKIA faced a blackout despite having power backup generators.
Passengers at JKIA were stranded in darkness for at least two hours as Kenyans reported power outages across the country. KAA attributed the power outage to system failures.
The latest blackout at the facility was experienced on December 10, 2023, which paralysed services at sections of the airport.
Photos and video clips shared by Kenyans on social media depicted the busy airport in total darkness including in the terminals.
Kenyans took to social media to complain about the blackout terming it as a national shame.