A Monkey Caused a Nationwide Power Outage in Kenya
Kenya had one of its most unexpected power outages when a single vervet monkey brought the country’s electricity supply to a halt. The small animal managed to sneak past security fencing at the Gitaru hydroelectric power station, which is the largest generator in the country. After making its way across the structure, it fell onto a transformer and tripped it. That moment triggered a chain reaction that cut off approximately 180 megawatts of power.
The outage affected homes and businesses across Kenya, leaving millions without power. It was a strange situation that grabbed attention around the world. People were shocked that such a large disruption could come from one curious animal.
How One Fall Became A National Issue
mage via Getty Images/Evgen_Prozhyrko
Once the transformer tripped, the system struggled to stabilize. Other generators shut down as a safety response, which caused the blackout to spread. Kenya Power, the utility that buys and distributes energy from KenGen, reported that approximately 4.7 million households and workplaces lost electricity. For a stretch of time that afternoon, the entire country felt the effects of that unexpected misstep.
Some regions had electricity restored within about 15 minutes, but it took closer to three hours to restore power to most of the nation. KenGen later reported that complete stability was achieved several hours after the event. Many businesses handled the outage more easily than in the past because they had already invested in backup generators. They had dealt with blackouts before, so they were somewhat prepared for surprises.
The Famous Monkey’s Surprising Survival
KenGen posted a photo of the monkey perched on top of electrical equipment. Viewers immediately had questions, starting with how the animal survived the shock and the fall. According to the company, the monkey made it through without major injury. It was safely handed over to the Kenya Wildlife Service after being removed from the station.
The incident was described as historic because officials had never seen a monkey cause a nationwide outage. KenGen said its facilities were already protected by electric fencing meant to keep wild animals away. Even with those measures in place, this determined little traveler found a way through. The company said it would strengthen security to prevent anything similar from happening again.
What The Outage Says About Kenya’s Power Access
Image via iStockphoto/Kristina Stojanovic
Although the blackout stretched across the whole country, the reality was that most people did not directly feel the disruption. Only about 23% of Kenya’s population had access to electricity at the time, according to World Bank data. That number highlighted an ongoing challenge in expanding reliable power to more communities.
For the people and businesses connected to the grid, the event became a memorable story. It was part shock, part frustration, and part humor. People joked about the monkey having more influence than any official. The situation also raised questions about how a single animal could put such a large power system at risk.