Kenya Power has come out to explain why it usually estimates the electricity bills of some of its customers across the country.
Speaking on Citizen TV, on Thursday, May 22, Rosemary Oduor, General Manager for Commercial Services and Sales at Kenya Power, said that sometimes customers refuse to allow KPLC staff into their premises—either maliciously or accidentally—forcing them to estimate the bills as a last resort.
She added that by the time they gain access to the premises, they often find that the bills have increased due to accumulated consumption.
“The reason why the billing estimate would be erratic is that we are not able to frequently get access to an actual reading in the premises,” she said.
To curb this, she noted that they have introduced self-reading, whereby consumers can read the meter themselves and send the readings to Kenya Power for billing.
This process starts after receiving an SMS prompt when billing is due. However, one must first register as a self-reader.
She further urged customers to allow Kenya Power meter readers access to their premises to obtain accurate readings.
Additionally, for the long term, Oduor mentioned that Kenya Power will soon introduce smart meters, which will facilitate fast digital communication between customers and Kenya Power.
She added, “That will help us better bill our customers with actual readings and reduce the need for frequent estimations.”
