Relief may be on the horizon for Kenyans grappling with frequent power outages that have disrupted businesses and daily life.

The Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) announced the completion of the Narok-Bomet cable line within 11 months, a project aimed at addressing the country's incessant blackouts.

Joseph Siror, the Managing Director and CEO of KPLC, emphasized the significance of this development in addressing the disruptions to economic activities caused by frequent blackouts.

"We want to terminate one of the circuits that come from Olkaria because power serves best when the distance is the shortest," declared Siror, emphasizing the importance of minimizing transmission losses.

"If we are able to supply power using the shortest links then we are guaranteed of better quality and less system losses."

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The new line, alongside the termination of the Olkaria-Lessos Kibos line 2 at Lessos, will serve a dual purpose: offloading the overburdened Muhoroni-Chemosit and Kisumu-Muhoroni lines, and stabilizing voltage levels.

Siror attributed the recent nationwide outages to overloading during peak hours in Western Kenya, stressing that the Narok-Bomet line will offer an alternative path for power supply in South Nyanza and the South Rift, regions heavily reliant on the congested Kisumu-Muhoroni connection.

However, acknowledging the challenges faced, Siror admitted, "The public should know that there were projects which were meant to have been completed 5 years ago but due to challenges by the contractors some of them were never completed. The power outage challenge is what is manifesting now when the power demand has gone so high."

KPLC remains committed to finding solutions. Live line maintenance, a technique for servicing power lines without interrupting supply, is being prioritized to minimize disruptions.

While Kenyans have endured the inconveniences of blackouts, the Narok-Bomet cable line offers a glimmer of hope for a brighter, more stable future when it comes to electricity access.