This archive report was first published on 29 October 2019.
On October 29, 2019, Kenya Power announced that it had received KSh 2 billion in funding from the World Bank to support its live line maintenance programme.
The programme seeks to reduce planned electricity shutdowns, enhance the stability of power supply, and improve revenue generation.
With the funding, Kenya Power will procure additional insulated trucks, tools, and accessories, as well as train staff in live line maintenance techniques and establish a laboratory for testing live line equipment.
The company has made significant progress in its live line maintenance programme, which was launched after a successful pilot phase that began in 2016.
During the pilot phase, more than 70 staff were trained to carry out maintenance of live power lines, and 8 insulated trucks and 3 digger derricks were made available.
As of the launch, a total of 144 live line maintenance staff had been trained, bringing the total number of live line staff to over 200.
Speaking at the launch, Jared Othieno, the acting Managing Director, emphasized the company's focus on providing quality power supply by strengthening the electricity network and streamlining internal processes.
He noted that the programme has already reduced the number of planned shutdowns by approximately 40%.
The live line maintenance programme aims to connect new customers without completely switching off the supply, and will involve changing rotten poles, repairing broken conductors, and trace clearance.
