A Diesel Mobile Unit (DMU) train of the Nairobi Commuter Rail Service (NCRS) operated by the Kenya Railway Corporation (KRC) from Embakasi to Nairobi leaves the Donholm station in Nairobi, Kenya January 11, 2022. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi

NAIROBI, Jan 11 (Reuters) – Power supply has been restored in most parts of Kenya, which earlier experienced a nationwide outage after a high voltage transmission line connecting the capital broke, state-controlled utility Kenya Power said on Tuesday.

Kenya Power reported a blackout occurred at 0745 GMT, after towers supporting a high voltage power line connecting the capital to the Kiambere hydroelectric dam had collapsed.

A company spokesperson confirmed the outage was nationwide.

It said in a statement on its Twitter account that as of 1114 GMT, power had been restored in Nairobi, West Kenya, North and Central Rift and South Nyanza.

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“We are working to restore supply to the remaining areas affected by the outage,” Kenya Power said.

Kenya Power is the country’s sole electricity distributor and the bulk of its power comes from Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen).

In May 2020, Kenya experienced a similar nationwide outage after a section of a high voltage power line that transmits power to Nairobi from the Olkaria geothermal power plants, some 75 km (45 miles) from Nairobi, broke.

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In late December, a section of another transmission line known as Loyaingalani-Suswa, collapsed, knocking out some power supply and leading to power rationing in some parts of the country while it was being repaired.

(Reporting by George Obulutsa; editing by Jason Neely)