This archive report was first published on 11 May 2021.
On May 11, 2021, Kenya Power announced a groundbreaking partnership with Community Based Organisations (CBOs) in Mathare, Mukuru, and Kibera to combat electricity theft and enhance service delivery in these informal settlements.
The innovative collaboration aims to enlist the support and ownership of the local community, enabling Kenya Power to bring its services closer to its customers. As part of this initiative, the Company will open offices in each of the three communities to effectively address customer issues such as power outages, bill queries, and new connections.
Kenya Power plans to recover at least KSh 2 billion in the three informal settlements through this collaboration. The Company's Managing Director and CEO, Bernard Ngugi, explained that the CBOs will act as the Company's ambassadors and report issues to teams based in the new offices.
“Under the partnership, the CBOs will act as the Company's ambassadors and report issues to teams based in the new offices. Kenya Power will continue to carry out network maintenance and ensure that all customers in informal settlements are properly metered,” said Ngugi.
Kenya Power's efforts to combat electricity theft are part of its wider commercial losses reduction strategy. The Company has made significant strides in reducing system losses, which stood at 24.7% in the Financial Year ending June 2020. The war on losses is one of the Company's key cogs in its turnaround strategy, and in addition to the CBO approach, the Company has rolled out a devolved county structure and implemented a smart meter programme.
