Kenya Power Explains Why Uhuru-Era Metres Get Fewer Tokens
Kenya Power revealed on Sunday one of the reasons why some Kenyans who pay the same amount of money receive different quantities of tokens.
In response to a query from a dissatisfied Kenyan, the electricity company explained that meters acquired through the last-mile connectivity program launched by former President Uhuru Kenyatta are subject to deductions by the initial purchase agreement.
“Please explain to me why tokens bought on the same day, 10 minutes apart, for the exact amount of money, do not match,” she asked Kenya Power.
She explained that for Ksh4,000, she received 127 units per meter and 75 units per meter, respectively, while breaking down her purchases.
Kenya Power responded to the discrepancy by explaining that one of the meters was acquired through the last mile initiative and had a debt.
In her case, the meter owed Ksh8,026; Kenya Power has been deducting fifty percent from each transaction and will continue to do so until the debt is paid in full.
The Last Mile Connective Project was conceived by Uhururos and subsequently introduced in 2014.
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It was introduced to maximize Kenya Power’s 35,000 distribution transformers located throughout the country.
At the time, the government announced that existing distribution transformers would be optimized by extending low-voltage networks to reach approximately 1.2 million people who reside near the transformers.
One of the engineers who worked on the last mile project explained to PoliticalPulseChat that there was a lacuna in how the project was marketed.
Jacob Nyambu explained that many Kenyans were misled into believing they would receive a complimentary electricity connection.
“What happened is that the government would connect you to the grid with the standard rates issued by Kenya Power. Instead of paying the amount beforehand, it would be staggered through subsequent token purchases,” he explained.
Nyambu disclosed that the standard cost to connect a household to the electricity grid was between Ksh15,000 and Ksh20,000.
“This depended on your nearness to an electric pole,” he explained.
Nyambu explained that Kenya Power would deduct a certain amount from your token purchase until the full amount was paid until you were connected.
Kenya Power Explains Why Uhuru-Era Metres Get Fewer Tokens
