NAIROBI, KENYA – Hellena Wanjiku, 29, lives in Wanyee, an area west of Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, with her sister and brother-in-law. She works as a hairdresser and manages one of the couple’s salons. But she says that recent power cuts have hurt business.

“Electricity is central to the thriving of my business – heating water, powering the radio, which is for entertaining my clients, hair drying and styling,” Wanjiku says with a loud sigh.