Electricity cheap for ordinary consumers, says Kenya Power CEO
Kenya Power CEO Bernard Ngugi when he toured Giitu village in North Imenti, Meru County on December 19, 2020.
Kenya Power has moved to dispel claims that electricity in the country is expensive, and urged users not to shift to other sources.
There has been a growing shift to solar power systems by heavy-consuming industrialists seeking reliable and cheaper supply, which has rattled Kenya Power as it faces thinning revenues.
The company’s Chief Executive Officer Bernard Ngugi Saturday said an ordinary electricity user in rural Kenya is supposed to pay an average of Sh200 per month to light his or her home and do other basic activities, unless one has other uses.
Addressing residents of Giitu village, North Imenti in Meru County during the launch of a Sh8 million Last Mile project that will benefit over 100 homes, Mr Ngugi said they are targeting to connect more rural households.
“One kilovolt, which is 1000 volts, is Sh10 and can last for about four days while carrying out the ordinary lifestyle of lighting the house, charging phones, powering television and hot showers. For that little, you can change your lifestyle. By the end of the month, [one] could end up using about Sh200,” he said.
North Imenti MP Rahim Dawood (left) and Kenya Power CEO Bernard Ngugi (second left) switches on power at the home of Mr Joshua Muriuki in Giitu village, Meru County on December 19, 2020.
Improved service delivery
Mr Ngugi announced that Kenya Power has improved service delivery by ensuring there are no unscheduled power interruptions, and has acquired live line equipment to ensure they do not disrupt supply during repairs.
The official, who was accompanied by North Imenti MP Rahim Dawood and Meru Deputy Speaker Elias Murega, also decried vandalism of transformers and illegal connections.
Mr Ngugi said they have put a structure to regularly monitor transformers to ensure they are in good working condition and that they are immediately attended to when an issue arises.
“Our desire is to sell power at all times, that is what the customer wants. No customer wants unscheduled power outages which would interfere with their work,” he said.
Mr Dawood said he had forwarded a request for 55 transformers to boost electricity connectivity in the entire constituency.
He said parliament, through the Energy Committee, is ready to push for increased allocation of money to Kenya Power to ensure people in rural areas have electricity.
“We still have many pockets that have been left without electricity yet they are surrounded by people with power connection,” observed Mr Dawood.
