Kenya Power appoints new chairman amid billing storm

Kenya Power yesterday appointed Mahboub Maalim Mohamed as its new chairman amid rising criticism over the recent surge in power bills.

Mr Mohamed replaces former National Assembly Speaker Kenneth Marende, who lost his re-election bid during the power distributor’s Annual General Meeting on December 1.

Engineer Mohamed was selected yesterday morning at a meeting of the power retailer’s board.

Tough task

He takes over at a time when the company is under pressure to rectify unfair billings to customers and as it moves to recover Sh10 billion in backdated bills.

Kenya Power’s management and board at its last AGM had to contend with shareholders who could not understand how the firm’s profitability stagnated despite growing customer numbers. The new chairman acknowledged the tough task ahead, saying he would work with different power sector players in a bid to ensure the firm scales up its service offering to customers as well as return on investments for shareholders.

“I am not deluded that I am walking into an easy job. It is going to be a challenge,” said Mohamed yesterday. The firm is currently fighting claims it has been overcharging power users through backdated bills to recover costs associated with thermal power production. Yesterday, Chief Executive Ken Tarus attributed the higher bills to a mix-up following the upgrade of the company’s billing system.