UPDATE: Kenya Power on Sunday, September 15, 2019, issued a statement informing customers that the prepaid purchase token system was up and running after delays were experienced the previous night.
"Following a sustained system hitch affected our prepaid tokens generating platform last night, Kenya Power wishes to confirm that our engineers have successfully resolved the challenge.
"Working throughout the night, our system engineers managed to identify and restore the system on Sunday morning. The system has maintained stable operations in the last six hours progressively sending our backlog of tokens purchased by customers last night and today," Read a statement by Kenya Power.
With a simple flick of a switch, a room lights up evincing the distinct objects that were otherwise unseen in the dark - an effortless press of a button and the blank TV screen awakes into an explosion of colour and sound bringing the room to life.
Though rudimentary and easily taken for granted, the simple act of lighting a home is made possible with electricity. For nearly a century, Kenya Power has made it its mission to empower people for better lives with energy solutions.
The institution has, over the years, advanced in all sectors including supply of power and consumer satisfaction. It is with giving customers more control over their electricity consumption that the token system was introduced, in households and businesses alike.
The billing has been more transparent with the consumer knowing exactly what they are paying for when purchasing the tokens.
How is your electricity bill computed?
When one purchases the token, certain fees are factored in the bill. There’s VAT that amounts to 16 percent of the total bill and is passed on to the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA): Fuel Index charge that changes according to fluctuations in world prices, as well as fluctuations in the quantity of oil consumed by electricity generation.
One also pays for levies to the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), WARMA, for energy purchased from hydropower plants above 1MW and there's also a charge for Rural Electrification Projects (REP).
How to Buy Tokens
Purchasing tokens is a simple transaction on the phone as Kenya Power has provided a number of convenient ways for customers to pay their electricity bills.
Here’s a detailed breakdown of how to get tokens and settle other electricity-related bills.
How to Buy Tokens Through M-Pesa
- Go to Safaricom SIM Tool Kit, select M-PESA menu, select “Lipa na M-PESA“
- Select “Pay Bill”
- Select “Enter Business no.“, enter Kenya Power’s Lipa na M-PESA PayBill Number 888880 and press “OK”
- Select “Enter Account no.“, enter your Kenya Power Prepaid Meter Number (e.g. 0100 xxxx xxxx x) press “OK”
- “Enter Amount“, between Ksh100 and 35,000 and press “OK”
- Enter your M-PESA PIN and press “OK”
- Confirm all the details are correct and press “OK”
- You will receive a confirmation SMS from M-PESA.
- Kenya Power will then generate prepaid token valid for your meter and send via SMS.
How to Pay Your Postpaid Electricity Bill with M-Pesa (Safaricom)
- Select “Pay Bill” from the M-Pesa menu.
- Enter the Kenya Power business number 888 888.
- Enter your new Kenya Power account number e.g. 123456.
- Enter the amount you wish to pay which should be between Ksh 100 and Ksh 35,000.
- Enter your M-Pesa PIN.
- Confirm that all details are correct.
- You will receive a confirmation of the transaction via SMS.
How to Buy Tokens via Equitel
- Select Eazzy Pay from your Equitel menu
- Select Pay Bill from Eazzy Pay. Choose the bank account number to pay from e.g.0123456789102 ;Select business number - Kenya Power Tokens
- Enter your Kenya Power Prepaid Meter Number (e.g. 37168917674) press OK
- Enter the amount you wish to pay which should be between Ksh 100 and Ksh 500,000.
- Enter your Equitel PIN and press OK
- Confirm that all details are correct by pressing 1 then OK
- You will receive a text confirmation of the transaction from Equity bank.
- Kenya Power will then generate prepaid token valid for your meter and send via SMS.
How to pay your electricity bill with Equitel (Sim Tool Kit)
- Select Eazzy Pay from your Equitel menu
- Select Pay Bill from Eazzy Pay.
- Choose the bank account number to pay from e.g.0123456789102
- Select business number - Kenya Power Bills (Post Paid)
- Enter your new Kenya Power meter number e.g. 2831172 or 3436980.
- Enter the amount you wish to pay which should be between Ksh 100 and Ksh 500,000.
- Enter your Equitel PIN and press OK
- Confirm that all details are correct by pressing 1 OK.
- You will receive a text confirmation of the transaction from Equity bank.
Where to buy Tokens
One can also pay their bills over the counter through all Equity Bank branches, as well via cash payments at Kenya Power paying counters marked CASHIER and authorised pay points which are located within official premises.
How to activate Kenya Power tokens?
A customer purchases electricity token and credit units to his meter by typing a given code on the meter’s customer interface unit screen. As the customer uses electricity, his/her credit balance is reduced each day until the units are exhausted prompting the customer to top it up.
What is a prepaid power meter?
It is a type of meter with a customer interface unit that has a screen resembling that of a mobile phone which allows customers to manage their power consumption the same way they manage credit units for their mobile phones.
How do I convert to a pre-paid power meter?
You need to make a formal application and forward it to the nearest commercial office. An official from the Company will get in touch with you within the agreed services timelines, as advised at the office.
Kenya Power will meet the cost of the prepayment meter installation during the project phase.
How to check token balance online
- Get online and log in to your mailbox.
- Click on the compose promptly to get open a new E-mail.
- Type the account number (the first part) in the subject field.
- Send the blank mail to kplc.co.ke.
An automatic response comes into your mail with all information including balance and payment due date.
How does prepaid metering benefit me?
In case of a disconnection, you can refill the service without paying an additional deposit. It also enables you to manage your power consumption.
Will my electricity be shut off when the credit runs out?
Yes, your electricity will be shut off (disconnected) when your credit runs out. However, the meter will give a warning when the credit falls below 20Kwhrs. When faced with this situation it is advisable to know how to recharge Kenya Power tokens so as to avoid disconnection.
What happens if prepaid pay points are closed?
You can use the pay bill numbers 888888 and 888880 for postpaid and prepaid bill payments respectively on M-Pesa.
It is advisable to buy your tokens in the highlighted ways to avoid falling prey to fraudsters who might take advantage and sell you the tokens via illegal means.
Kenya Power doesn’t condone fraud and has taken measures to crack down on the illegal dealings that deny the institution revenue.
How to borrow Kenya Power tokens
You can access the emergency top-up service via Okoa Stima by Safaricom. Dial *885#, enter National ID, Set preferred PIn and confirm, Select register meter/account and select register new.
How can I identify a genuine Kenya Power Technician?
Kenya Power technicians always come in a team and bear a company identification card. He/she will also have a prepayment meter, which will be used to replace the existing credit meter.
The technicians will also not come back for meter reading but will, from time to time, visit different premises to carry out inspections as required by law.
How can I get a pre-paid power meter?
At the moment Kenya Power has preselected the project sites to be converted from the traditional meter to prepayment e.g. Imara Daima, Nyayo highrise just to mention a few. Kenya Power will meet the cost of the prepayment meter installation for the project phase.
Kenya Power Contact Details
When in doubt or have any queries, you can reach Kenya Power in several ways.
On Social media, Twitter: Kenya Power, KenyaPower_Care, Facebook: KenyaPowerLtd or you can email: customercare@kplc.co.ke.
The contact centre is 95551 and you can also call 0703070707 or 0732170170.a
