Wednesday, 30 April, 2025
Energy Committee inspects Donholm and Ruaraka power substations
Nairobi County,Wednesday, 30th April, 2025.
The National Assembly Departmental Committee on Energy today conducted an inspection tour of Donholm and Ruaraka substations in Nairobi to assess the status of several abandoned transformers and the status of transformer availability in the country.
During the visit, the Committee delegation led by Ruiru MP Hon. Simon King’ara observed a number of idle transformers in the entities’ yard and asked for quick distribution to serve Kenyans in various regions.
In the case of damaged transformers, Kenya Power officials informed the committee that any transformer found to have abnormalities such as oil leakage is promptly removed and taken to workshops for repair and maintenance.
Once the repairs are complete, the transformer is returned to its original site and reconnected, a move aimed at preventing more severe incidents like transformer explosions.
However, the committee raised concerns about the growing issue of vandalism, which has become a significant obstacle to the country’s energy infrastructure.
The company’s Managing Director, Eng. Joseph Siror told the committee that the company has put in place measures to curb vandalism including pushing for a ban on scrap metal dealings especially on copper.
“Vandalism not only leads to financial losses but also poses serious risks to human life, especially in critical institutions like hospitals that heavily rely on uninterrupted power supply,” said Siror.
“If we stem the issue of vandalism, we will greatly reduce the expenses incurred in procuring new transformers,” he added.
Hon. Udgoon Siyad raised a red flag on possible internal sabotage, suggesting that it may not be ordinary citizens involved in the vandalism.
“There might be a chance that some Kenya Power staff are aiding in this, as it requires technical expertise to safely dismantle a live transformer,” she said.
The committee pledged engage further on the matter and explore regulatory and policy measures to safeguard the country’s power infrastructure and reduce the burden of transformer replacement.