KISUMU, Kenya, Nov 9 – Kenya Power Company has kicked off the collection of data on power energy meters in Western Kenya in line with the task-force report on the review of power tariffs.
Speaking during a press conference on Tuesday, Kisumu County Business Manager Daniel Okumu said the utility firm had engaged the National Youth Service to get all the data relating to power connections in buildings.
“The whole exercise will take 40 days of which we will hand over the data with recommendations to the task force committee that was constituted by President Uhuru Kenyatta,” he said.
Okumu further pointed out that the process has started in Kisumu County and will be scaled up to the neighboring counties across the region within 13 days.
A total of 122 NYS personnel and 46 Kenya Power staff will be on the ground collecting data.
He announced that the number of personnel might be increased in the coming days to meet the deadline set by the taskforce.
“The Presidential taskforce requires us to report to them by December 5, 2021,” he said.
Okumu noted that the ultimate goal of the data collection exercise is the reduction of power tariffs by 33 per cent as directed by the President.
The data collection exercise will also help to recover some of the energy power meters that were stolen and sold elsewhere.
“The team has gadgets that will locate all the meters and points in case of wrong positioning,” he said.
This, he said, will help the company to avert losses occasioned by illegal power connections.
Okumu sent out an appeal to all Kenya Power customers to cooperate with the team and share information with its staff and those deployed to collect the data.
“Let nobody panic, the team will identify themselves and ask for the meters for scanning, once scanned, the data is stored for use in the coming days,” he said.
