Kenya Power refutes claims of inflating power charges

Kenya power technicians install a transformer at Ibutuka Village in Mbeere North in Embu County. [Murithi Mugo]

Kenya Power has distanced itself from reports alleging that it has been overcharging its consumers.

This comes a day after Business Daily newspaper published an article echoing Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu.

In the report, Gathungu gave Parliament's Energy Committee a detailed review of the country's electricity generation, transmission, and distribution.

In a statement released Tuesday, August 8 morning, the national electric utility company has refuted Gathungu's claims, saying the reports are geared towards building a false narrative around the cost of electricity.

"Kenya Power has taken note of a misleading article published in the Business Daily newspaper on August 2023 and quotes a report by the Auditor General that was presented before a parliamentary committee. Kenya Power takes exception to the contents of the article, which are not only non-factual but also geared towards building a false narrative around the cost of electricity and tarnishing the brand," read the statement.

According to the company, the monthly bill that consumers get matches what one has consumed.

"All electricity bills are computed based on customer consumption which is the difference between the current meter reading and the previous reading (as taken during the previous month). The approved base tariffs, levies, and taxes are then applied to the consumption to compute the customer's monthly bill."

Additionally, the company says that there are monthly regulator checks that verify that the customers are charged based on the approved rates by the Energy Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA).

In the media report, Kenya Power was accused of inflating the charges. This was after it was established that electricity bills do not match the actual consumption.

"Almost 20 percent of the bill to consumers cannot be matched to actual consumption neither can the distribution company attribute it to a specific consumer," she said.

Additionally, the country's chief auditing officer said that neither Kenya Power nor the EPRA has sufficiently explained the anomaly.