Millions of Kenyan households relying on prepaid electricity meters face the risk of power outages if they fail to update their devices before a critical deadline, Kenya Power’s Managing Director and CEO, Dr. Joseph Siror, has warned.
In an exclusive interview with Citizen TV’s Jeff Koinange, Siror outlined the urgent need for the country’s 7.4 million prepaid meter users to undertake a mandatory software update to prevent their meters from malfunctioning and rejecting new electricity tokens.
The impending update, set to be completed by August 31st, is a global phenomenon stemming from a technical limitation in the prepaid meter system. The existing system, which has been in place since January 1, 1993, uses a 24-digit code to store the number of minutes elapsed since that date. However, this code is set to reach its maximum capacity in November 2023, causing the meters to reject any new tokens loaded after that point.
“Without really going into a lot of technicalities, the system that is currently using is based on 1st January 1993, and there is a 24-digit which is stored within the token that is always sent to the customers, which is storing the number of minutes from 1 January 1993,” Siror explained. “The number of those minutes come actually November this year would have reached the maximum, so the moment it then moves to the next minute, it would appear like it has gone back to 0 or it has gone back to year 1 January 1993, and of course, the meters themselves would reject that.”
To mitigate the potential crisis, Kenya Power has launched a nationwide campaign to update the affected meters. Customers will receive two unique codes via SMS, the first to reset their meter and the second to update the software. Siror emphasized that the process is free of charge and will not alter the cost per unit of electricity.
“When it’s your turn, you key in the two codes which are sent to you, one for resetting and the one for updating, and you’re home and dry,” Siror said, urging customers not to accept any assistance from unauthorized individuals claiming to represent Kenya Power.
Addressing concerns about marginalized communities and the elderly, Siror assured that the utility company is employing various communication channels, including vernacular radio stations and social media, to disseminate the information and ensure that no one is left behind.
“We are using all channels of communication, we are using the vernacular stations, we are using Twitter, we are using all channels to ensure this communication is disseminated to each and every person, including the people you’ve just described,” he stated.
With the deadline looming, Siror emphasized on the urgency of the update, warning that failure to comply would render customers unable to load new electricity tokens onto their meters, potentially leading to prolonged power outages.
