Kenya Power Board Chairman Joy Masinde has revealed how neighbours can contribute to high electricity bills which often cause shock to many consumers.
Speaking during an interview on Spice FM on Wednesday, February 28, Masinde detailed that some neighbours had made a habit of connecting some of their wires to other people's electrical connections.
She noted that the trick had been unearthed during some of the visits done by Kenya Power officials to various homes after numerous complaints.
According to Masinde, these trick was mostly witnessed in apartments and housing units that host many people.
"There are places we have gone and Kenyans complain about high bills. Once you go, you find the neighbour has put in one wire and their water heater is using your electricity.
"If you are living in an apartment just get an electrician to look into your wires," she stated.
Masinde added that Kenya Power would also be introducing smart meters to help customers identify gadgets consuming the most power in their homes.
On the other hand, she detailed that the power utility firm was also adopting new strategies to address customer dissatisfaction.
Masinde revealed that the focus of the board and the management was shifting to a customer-centric system which involves open and frequent communications.
She elaborated that the utility firm had already implemented this strategy, actively engaging with Kenyans online. Additionally, top officials at Kenya Power conducted several media interviews to address the concerns raised by Kenyans.
Further, the board chair indicated that the power distributor was also planning on improving their response to queries acknowledging that the changes would take time to effect.
"This morning I had no power and I decided that I was going to call Kenya Power and not report it on the app. I was on hold for almost 18 minutes before someone came on the line. I made the call at 4:20 am and the call was taken up at 4:40. She was very polite and said that they had clocked it.
"I was thinking to myself that we have a customer service charter and we need it to come alive. It will take a lot of time," she expressed.
Additionally, the board chairman added that new strategies had been implemented to improve the morale of the employees such as promotions and salary raise.
