Customers using Kenya Power pre-paid meters will be expected to embark on a free update exercise before the end of August this year to prevent them from being locked out of the new software system that will be used.
- The Power Utility company has stated that all pre-paid meters that will not be upgraded to the new system, will not accept any tokens after the specified deadline.
- Kenya Power has also mentioned that the update process is a global activity that targets all pre-paid meters using the Standard Transfer Specification (STS) and, therefore, cannot be overruled.
- The company has rolled out a media campaign dubbed ‘Update Token Meter Yako’, which will sensitize customers on what they should do once Kenya Power sends them a message prompting an update.
“Customers will receive two codes from Kenya Power when they purchase tokens. They will be required to key the codes to their meter following the steps indicated in the SMS before loading the new token,” said Kenya Power’s Managing Director, Joseph Siror.
To ensure that everyone is on board, the company will also send the codes directly to customers who haven’t purchased any tokens, notifying them of the same.
Moreover, customers are advised to ensure tokens that have been bought should be keyed in the meters before the reset and update codes. If this is not needed, the token numbers shall be branded as invalid in the new system.
In late May, Kenya Power disabled the token purchase system for 24 hours to update the system.
Earlier this year, an official of the company had hinted to the token update process but had mentioned the deadline would be in November this year. Kenya Power is also in the process of phasing out post-paid meters across the country.
According to the economic survey 2024, the number of customers connected under the rural electrification programme grew by 5.4 per cent to 2,214,710 in 2022/23 from 2,100,734 in 2021/22, mainly driven by domestic and small commercial categories. Revenue attributed to the Rural Electrification Program increased from KSh 10.6 billion in 2021/22 to KSh 12.5 billion in 2022/23.
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