KETRACO Completes Underground Cable Installation Near Laikipia Airbase

The Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO) has successfully completed the installation of critical high-voltage underground power cables in Laikipia County. State officials confirmed the development following a technical inspection of the infrastructure work.

State Department for Energy Principal Secretary (PS) Alex Wachira commended the engineering teams for completing the cable installation. He noted that the project marks an essential shift in how high-voltage transmission lines are built near sensitive defense facilities.

The installation involves the Nanyuki-Rumuruti and Nanyuki-Isiolo 132-kilovolt (kV) transmission projects. Engineers placed these sections underground to satisfy strict aviation safety standards around the Laikipia Airbase flight corridor.

Overhead transmission towers traditionally used in high-voltage distribution posed potential operational hazards to military aircraft. Laying the cables beneath the surface ensures that fighter jets and transport planes can conduct maneuvers without flight obstruction.

Defense officials had previously raised concerns regarding overhead power infrastructure within an eight-kilometer radius of the airfield. Modernizing the grid required specialized underground trenching and heavy-duty cabling to maintain full power transmission capacity.

Once fully operational, these underground segments will integrate into a continuous power loop circumscribing the Mount Kenya region. The infrastructure links major energy sources from the Kamburu and Masinga hydroelectric power stations directly into regional load centers.

The grid ring will move electricity through Meru, Isiolo, Nanyuki, and Kiganjo before connecting back to primary power generation assets. This closed loop design prevents total blackouts by providing alternative power routing whenever localized maintenance occurs.

Energy sector leaders expect the ring system to stabilize power supply for commercial, agricultural, and residential consumers across several central counties. Localized industries have long experienced voltage drops, which previously hampered economic production in towns like Rumuruti.

The project also sets the stage for connecting proposed renewable power facilities into the national grid. These developments include the upcoming 40-megawatt Rumuruti solar farm, which will feed green energy straight into the regional network.

Civil works for the underground cables required precise engineering to cross existing transport infrastructure safely. Cable routes traverse under key roadways, including the Nanyuki-Rumuruti highway, while avoiding nearby military facilities and private land parcels.

Contractors utilized heavy excavators and advanced cable-reeling equipment to lay multi-layer insulated wiring within concrete-encased subterranean trenches. The technical execution was overseen by KETRACO project manager Moses Kerre, who guided state inspectors during the site tour.

Energy ministry officials emphasized that expanding subterranean cabling represents a crucial step in modernizing national grid standards. The strategy balances expanding high-voltage distribution networks with protecting vital state security assets and public aviation safety.

Future expansion plans will extend similar underground transmission methods to other urban and high-density infrastructure corridors across Kenya. Government authorities remain committed to strengthening grid reliability, while reducing technical transmission losses across all major energy lines in the country.

With civil installations now finalized along the Laikipia flight path, technical crews are conducting final testing before energizing the line. Full integration into the national grid is expected to follow, bringing long-term stability to the region.