This archive report was first published on 11 May 2021.
Kenya Power has enlisted the help of community-based organizations in Mathare, Mukuru, and Kibera to combat electricity theft and revenue leakages in informal settlements.
According to Kenya Power Managing Director Bernard Ngugi, the partnership aims to improve service delivery and reduce commercial losses estimated at Kshs. 2 billion.
Ngugi explained that the CBOs will act as the Company's ambassadors, reporting issues to teams based in new offices, while Kenya Power will continue to carry out network maintenance and ensure proper metering of customers.
As part of the initiative, Kenya Power will open three offices in each of the informal settlements to effectively address customer issues, including power outages, bill queries, and new connections.
Ngugi expressed confidence that the collaborative effort will achieve the goal of providing quality, reliable, and safe power in informal settlements.
Kenya Power has made significant strides in expanding the national grid, with high and medium voltage network growing from 56,611km to 84,681km over the last five years.
During the same period, the customer base increased from 2.3 million to 8.1 million, while total system losses stood at 24.7%.
System losses are divided into technical losses and commercial losses, with the latter majorly due to electricity theft.
Kenya Power's turnaround strategy includes a devolved county structure, a smart meter programme, and boundary metering to enhance service delivery and reduce losses.
As part of its efforts, the Company has posted a profit before tax of KShs. 332 million for the half-year period ended 31 December, 2020.
