Kenya power will be forced to pay families and businesses for power blackouts.
This is if proposed amendments on the Energy Act are passed by the National Assembly.
Mvita MP, Abdulswamad Nassir who is sponsoring the bill, wants the power company held liable for financial losses or even physical injuries caused by power outages.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, Nassir said the power company should pay families and businesses whose power is cut off for more than three hours on the same day.
The compensation fee will be used by the power company to pay off part or the whole cumulative electricity bill.
The bill states that compensation for physical injuries will be determined by the court.
According to the Business Daily, a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) showed that households and businesses in the country experience blackouts an average of 25 days every year.
This has forced many to find alternative sources of power for their homes and business establishments such as power generators.
If passed, it will come as a relief for many Kenyans who struggle to pay high bills despite experiencing frequent power outages.
It comes even as the power suppliers in the country warned that power bills could go up in the coming months.
Though well recieved by some, others have argued that determining genuine compensation claims especially during injuries could be hard.
Lightning strikes on power transformers, that could lead to blackouts or even cause accidents, have been given as instances where compensation could be hard to determine.
