Improve power billing and boost efficiency
For an organisation that enjoys a near-monopoly, Kenya Power’s performance has been rather wanting.
The utility continues to provide poor services while inconveniencing the vast majority of its customers.
Many wish they could go for solar power, but the initial cost is way beyond the means of most ordinary folks. The power utility has become synonymous with blackouts, loss-making, mismanagement and corruption, hampering the efficient delivery of services to customers. In some places, the power failures are not just frequent, but sometimes last for several days.
The country has since 2020 suffered at least eight countrywide blackouts that have been blamed on the ageing transmission lines and other factors. Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi says the government is keen to modernise the transmission lines and equipment to curb the numerous power outages.
Besides the unreliable power supply, faulty meters and suspect billing cause a lot of agony for customers. The power utility has a stranglehold over customers, as delays in clearing bills are met with instant disconnections.
In some rare good news that will lift the spirits of the suffering customers, a parliamentary committee has asked Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu to conduct a forensic audit of the billing system. This follows complaints about inflated electricity bills. In its report on the causes of the high bills, the National Assembly Committee on Energy has called for an audit of fraud, corruption and other financial improprieties.
The MPs have also accused the power utility of being a stumbling block in taming the high cost of power. This, of course, drives up the cost of business and services.
In a presentation in August, the Auditor-General’s office shocked the lawmakers by revealing that consumers were being forced to pay for electricity they had not consumed.
The Kenya Association of Manufacturers has also weighed in with its view that if the power losses currently at 22.43 per cent could be reduced to say 14.5 per cent, a tidy saving of Sh6 billion would be easily made. The power utility also needs to be shaken up by opening up the energy sector and allowing competition in electricity distribution to enhance efficiency.
