Company at pains to explain rise in electricity costs and tokens hitch

Energy Cabinet Secretary Hon. Charles Keter (center) addresses the press on billing and prepaid services as the the Energy Principal Secretary Dr. Eng Jospeh Njoroge(right) and Kenya Power MD Dr. Ken Tarus ( left) look on, April 27, 2018 [David Gichuru Standard].

Kenya Power was Friday at pains to explain major hiccups electricity consumers have experienced in the recent past that left many feeling the State agency has been fleecing them.

Some of the hiccups include last week’s unavailability of tokens for prepaid power users, with a number of customers unable to get their tokens days after they had paid Kenya Power.

Power users have also had to grapple with over-billing experienced towards the end of last year and early 2018.

The company and the Ministry of Energy held a press briefing Friday, with the aim of convincing Kenyans that they are not being ripped off. However, they left many issues unaddressed.

Better services

The firm promised better services and accurate billing, with the launch of mobile and electronic platforms that are aimed at enabling customers keep tabs on their accounts with ease.

In a bid to reassure many of the over six million customers that have now been left with a bitter taste in the mouth, Energy Cabinet Secretary Charles Keter directed Kenya Power to re-look at its business model.

He instructed the firm to undertake a re-engineering within three months to resolve the challenges that customers have been experiencing.

“I have given Kenya Power three months to re-engineer themselves to be in conformity with the market and the delivery of services to the common mwananchi,” said Keter.

The reaction by the ministry comes in the wake of last week’s hitch, where customers who had bought tokensusing either the utility firm’s pay bill number or any of its third-party vendors had to wait for days to receive their units.

Kenya Power CEO Kenneth Tarus Friday said most customers had received the units, adding the firm would ensure anyone who had bought the tokens gets them.

The system error has ignited debate on some of the vendors selling power tokens, including whether the law was followed in recruiting them.

Tarus said the 15 vendors were recruited in 2011 through a process in line with the procurement laws.

The system hitch last week came after the over-billing of customers towards end of 2017. The incidence was attributed to another system hitch as well as estimation of customers’ bills as opposed to the actual reading. The ministry said the over-billing had nothing to do with politics.

“Kenya Power introduced the new system in July and it was by coincidence that elections were in August. It had nothing to do with elections. Kenya Power is listed and you cannot get money out of the company,” said Tarus.

The firm said it has since stepped up reading of post-paid meters.

Keter said following the overbilling saga, Kenya Power would refund money to its clients but did not explain whether this would be undertaken through crediting of power users’ accounts or cash reimbursements.

The CS also directed the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to speed up a review of electricity tariffs.