Hard truths. Bold Insights. Real talk.
The National Assembly Trade Committee was told on Tuesday, October 6, that the high cost of connecting centres to three-phase electricity was among the main obstacles delaying their operationalisation
The suspects, identified as Pauline Waruguru Mwangi, James Muroki Eusebio and James Ntonjira Ntongai are expected to appear before the Meru Law Courts to take plea over corruption-related charges.
EACC arrested a Kenya Power technician from the Donholm office in Nairobi and an alleged accomplice after a complaint about a Sh30,000 demand to reconnect electricity. The suspects were taken to the Integrity Centre for processing.
KPLC officials told the committee that delays were partly caused by disruptions following the collapse of the Finance Bill 2024, which affected payments to contractors. However, MPs dismissed the explanation, insisting that the agency must take responsibility for delivery.
The suspect, Alfred Hassan Bushuru, was linked to the crimes after officers recovered electrical equipment, copper windings, and other incriminating items from his home.
The issue adds to broader concerns raised in the Auditor-General’s reports for the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 financial years, which flagged serious gaps in oversight at the utility. Among the issues highlighted were Sh22 billion in excess payments to Independent Power Producers for electricity that was not supplied to the national grid.
The new system, known as Optical Character Recognition, uses scanning instead of manual entry. With this method, meter readers only need to scan a meter display, allowing the system to automatically process the reading with high accuracy. The Company says this shift is expected to make the monthly billing cycle faster and more reliable.
The scheduled outage, set to run from 9 am to 5 pm is aimed at facilitating essential maintenance works to improve service reliability and grid efficiency.
The utility company is also positioning itself to support future growth through emerging technologies, particularly electric mobility and modern cooking solutions.
