Kenya Power eyes Sh2b from reduced illegal connections

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Kenya Power has partnered with Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) in Mathare, Mukuru and Kibera to enhance service delivery and stem electricity theft.

The partnership, which is in line with the company’s losses reduction strategy, will see the power utility firm recover at least Sh2 billion in the three informal settlements through the collaboration.

The firm will also open offices in Mathare, Mukuru and Kibera to help address customer issues such as power outages, bill queries, and new connections among others. “Under the partnership, the CBOs will act as the company’s ambassadors and report issues to teams based in the new offices,” said Kenya Power Managing Director Bernard Ngugi.

“Kenya Power will continue to carry out network maintenance and ensure that all customers in informal settlements are properly metered. We are confident that through this collaborative effort, we will achieve our goal to provide quality, reliable and safe power in informal settlements,” added Ngugi.

He said the national grid has expanded over the last five years, with high and medium voltage network growing from 56,611 kilometres (km) in circuit length to 84,681km as at end of June 2020.

This, he noted, has seen the customer base increase from 2.3 million to 8.1 million. In the financial year ending June 2020, total system losses stood at 24.7 per cent.

Mr Ngugi said the war on losses is one of the company’s key cogs in its turnaround strategy in addition to the CBO approach. The firm is also implementing a smart meter programme in which 6,623 large power consumers and 55,000 small and medium enterprises will have benefitted by June 30, this year.

The firm said the approach has begun to bear fruit. Kenya Power posted a profit before tax of Sh332 million for the half-year period ended December 31, 2020.