Rogue monkey triggers nationwide blackout in Kenya
AFP FILE PHOTO
“Monkey business” just got a whole lot clearer.
The entire country of Kenya was literally engulfed by darkness on Tuesday (Wednesday, Manila time), after a stray monkey got into a power station and caused a mass blackout.
According to a BBC news report, the primate fell on a crucial piece of equipment at the Gitaru hydroelectric power station, which resulted in the loss of 180 megawatts of power across the country.
Kenya’s electricity provider, KenGen, shared the incident on its Facebook page.
The company also confirmed that system had been restored and all power generating units—including the affected transformer—were operating normally.
“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.”
Meanwhile, the offending monkey reportedly survived the fall, and has since been handed over to the Kenyan Wildlife Service.
The monkey’s species had yet to be determined, but witnesses believed it was a vervet monkey, which is native to the country. Khristian Ibarrola
