Mbeere North Member of Parliament Geoffrey Ruku has moved a motion at the National Assembly geared at regulating Kenya Power's free reign to set electricity bills.
The motion tabled on the floor of the house seeks to compel the utility firm to enter into an agreement with private companies. The ideal scenario according to him is a situation where private companies operate the electricity billing system.
Ruku explained that the move would ensure that there is efficiency in the energy sector amidst arbitrary increases in power bills that has been witnessed in recent years.
"In order to increase operational efficiency and impact the overall prices of electricity, this House resolves that the Ministry of Energy formulate management contracts with contractors with private entities to manage power connections and billing services on behalf of Kenya Power with a view to enhancing efficiency," read the motion in part.
On the other hand, the MP is also proposing for electricity connection to be done by private firms on behalf of the utility firm.
According to the legislator, this will address the perennial issue where most Kenyans remain without being connected to electricity.
Previously, the utility firm has blamed low connectivity levels to lack of adequate infrastructure such as transformers.
According to data shared by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) in 2022, Kenya's electricity connectivity stood at 76.49 per cent with 8.6 million citizens connected to power.
Should the proposals be passed, the Ministry of Energy under Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir will be tasked with formulating a framework to facilitate the changes.
"Kenya Power in managing electricity in the country bear serious implications on the cost of living and retard economic growth by making businesses less competitive thereby diverting potential investments to other economies in the region.
"The Ministry of Energy should formulate a policy framework on Government-to-Government agreements to facilitate local assembly of essential equipment for electricity connections such as transformers, conductors, meters and attendant equipment in order to address unwarranted supply hitches and to guarantee quality assurance of the equipment," read the motion in part.
MPs are expected to debate the motion in the coming days wherein they will approve or drop the proposals.
