Kenya Power plans to clear a massive backlog of electricity connections within 90 days through a new Rapid Results Initiative, the company announced Tuesday.
The state-owned utility aims to connect more than 320,000 customers over the next three months by tapping into a recent delivery of prepaid meters. Kenya Power’s 236,924 pending applications for new service currently leaves many residents without access.
“In the recent past, we have experienced challenges with the procurement of critical materials which has negatively impacted our drive to onboard new customers,” said Managing Director Joseph Siror in a statement. “I am happy to note that these challenges have been addressed and we have started receiving meters, which we are deploying to clear pending connections.”
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The accelerated push comes after court battles stymied Kenya Power’s ability to buy meters and other equipment needed to connect households and businesses to the grid. While the courts settled procurement disputes, customers languished on waiting lists for periods exceeding a year in some cases.
“Despite the Company’s campaign to raise the national electricity access rate, many customers have been forced to wait for long periods as protracted court battles hindered procurement of meters and other materials,” Siror said.
Kenya Power is the country’s sole electricity transmission and distribution company, serving more than 8 million customers. But a good nmber of Kenyans still lack access to electricity, particularly in rural areas.
