Kenya Power has refuted allegations circulating online that it deliberately cut off electricity at the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) in Mathira, where former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua was attending a church service.
In a statement shared on social media on Sunday, March 23, Kenya Power clarified that the power outage in parts of Nyeri County was due to planned maintenance, which had been scheduled in advance. The company emphasized that affected areas were informed a day prior.
“Good afternoon, sir. Kindly note that various parts of Nyeri County and surrounding areas were scheduled for planned maintenance today, March 23, as communicated on our platforms,” read part of the statement.
“This maintenance work is necessary to ensure the continuous and reliable supply of electricity,” Kenya Power added.
The response was issued after an online user questioned whether the blackout was a targeted move to prevent Gachagua from addressing the congregation.
The skeptic had posted on X, suggesting that power had been intentionally switched off in Nyeri Town due to the presence of the former DP at the church service.
“I’m hearing Kenya Power decided to switch off lights in the whole of Nyeri Town today because Riggy G is attending a church service at ACK St. Peter’s Cathedral. Nyeri people, can you confirm this? Do you have electricity?” the post read.
Kenya Power, however, dismissed these claims, pointing to a prior notice issued on Saturday, March 22.
The notice indicated that several areas, including Nyeri, Mweiga, Naromoru, and Tetu, would experience a power outage from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. due to scheduled maintenance.
In Nyeri, affected locations included Nyeri Town, Kangemi, Asian Quarters, Witemere, Temple Road, Outspan Hospital, Golf Club, Kandara, Ring Road, and Nyeri Polytechnic.
Other areas such as Karatina, State Lodge, and Ragati were also listed in the maintenance schedule and were set to experience blackouts during the same period.
Interestingly, Gachagua’s visit to the church coincided with a recent policy change by the Anglican Church of Kenya regarding political speeches.
On March 16, ACK Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit announced that politicians would no longer be allowed to address congregants inside church premises.
“I want to make it clear that from today onwards, no political leader will be given a platform to speak inside Anglican churches,” the Archbishop declared.
“We will recognize them by name, and if they wish to greet the congregants, they will simply wave. Any political address must be made outside the church premises, not just today, but in all our dioceses and churches moving forward,” he added.
This development suggests that even if there had been electricity at the event, Gachagua would not have been given an opportunity to speak inside the church, following the new directive by the Archbishop.
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