When the blackout hit Kenya, anybody with 'KPLC' in their online bio was not safe

Ben Terry, a meteorologist for the Louisiana-based broadcaster, took to Twitter to notify netizens that he was not affiliated to the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) amid a surge in Kenyan followers.

“​​I just gained several Twitter followers from Kenya over the past 24 hours,” wrote Terry on Tuesday, “Just so you know, I am not associated with the KPLC that is Kenya Power and Light Company for future reference.”

“However, I hope you do like weather updates for Southwest Louisiana. Welcome aboard!” He said at the end of his message.

The national power supplier has been trending since Tuesday due to outcry from Kenyans over the outage as the company went on a back-and-forth issuing statements on restoration and subsequent outage of the supply.

Terry went ahead to explain the name coincidence to his new followers, saying: 

“All TV stations in America west of the Mississippi River begin with the letter “K.” The other letters stand for Port of Lake Charles (PLC). It’s just coincidence it’s the same acronym as Kenya Power and Light. No affiliation.”

The journalist, it seems, is not the only one who has found himself in the midst of wrath by Kenyans online over power issues.

Shirleen, who used to run social media accounts for another Louisiana-based TV station, came out to share her experience as a KPLC ‘customer care agent’.

“​​I miss getting those Facebook messages from Kenya and felt powerless not being able to solve their customer service issues,” she wrote.

“Every time when the power went out in Kenya I would get notifications from their customers about power outages.”