Nairobi, Kenya – In the aftermath of a nationwide power outage that left travelers stranded at Nairobi’s primary airport, Alex Gitari, the head of Kenya’s airports authority, has been relieved of his duties.
Transport Minister Kipchumba Murkomen announced the decision and issued an apology for the inconvenience faced by passengers during the hours of darkness.The widespread blackout, which impacted homes, businesses, and essential services across the country, was characterized by chaos and confusion at Nairobi’s main airport. While the exact cause of the power cut remains undisclosed by the majority state-owned power company, concerns of political interference leading to a disorganized workforce have been raised.
Transport Minister Murkomen expressed frustration over the lack of accountability within the affected organizations. He noted that the disruptive event revealed deeper systemic issues and highlighted the urgent need for operational improvements.In addition to Alex Gitari’s removal, another high-ranking official from the civil aviation authority has also faced dismissal. Furthermore, the manager responsible for overseeing operations at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport has been demoted and reassigned to a role at Mombasa’s primary airport.Although power has been gradually restored in some areas, a significant portion of the country remains grappling with the aftermath of the outage that commenced on Friday.
The incident has ignited discussions regarding infrastructure resilience and the necessity of bolstering Kenya’s power supply systems to avert similar situations in the future.
