A single monkey caused a nationwide blackout in Kenya after falling on to a crucial piece of equipment. The monkey fell on a transformer at the Gitaru hydroelectric power station on Tuesday, electricity provider KenGen said in a statement.
The transformer then tripped, resulting in the loss of 180 megawatts of energy and triggering a blackout across Kenya. Power was restored almost four hours later and the monkey survived its adventure, KenGen said.
But believe the monkey business was used by the power generator to hide what could be a major fault in its system. If it was a mere trip, why did it take so long to restore power?
The monkey has now been taken in by the Kenya Wildlife Service. “KenGen power installations are secured by electric fencing which keeps away marauding wild animals,” the statement said.
“We regret this isolated incident and the company is looking at ways of further enhancing security at all our power plants.”
Businesses bore the brunt of Tuesday’s blackout, with many resorting to use of diesel-powered generators. Many had installed generators as a result of previous blackouts, it said.
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