In Summary
- Kenya Power has been Accused of Overcharging Consumers by Up to 20%
- Kenya power has not explained the anomaly
Kenya power has been accused of inflating electricity bills, resulting in Consumers being overcharged by as much as 20% of power they did not use.
The accusation emerged during a session of the parliamentary committee on energy, where Auditor General Nancy Gathungu presented the findings of a forensic review into the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity.
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Gathungu revealed that the review exposed a mismatch between electricity bills and actual consumption with additional charges being levied on consumers without any traceability in the billing system
“Almost 20 percent of the bill to consumers cannot be matched to actual consumption neither can the distribution company attribute it to a specific consumer, “
she said.
Public Outrage
Gathungu who was represented by her deputy Stanley Mwangi , revealed instances of missing check meters, malfunctioned ones and even discrepancies between check meters , this she said had led to consumers bearing the brunt of high bills.
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“Although the management indicates that they have been working to reduce the power losses, there is no evidence of efforts and achievements made along the improvement of these recoveries. Charging of losses impacts on the cost of electricity,”
This revelation has further fueled public outrage, with Kenyans expressing long-standing concerns about high electricity bills and accusing Kenya Power of engaging in fraudulent practices.
The committee is investigating the high cost of electricity in the country.
Meanwhile President Willim Ruto has intimated that the Government has a plan to tackle problems bedeviling Kenya power.
He revealed in an interview with Inooro TV yesterday that the government has plans to tackle the problems at the utility.
“Kenya power has a monopoly status and we have sat down with development partners and agreed on how the problems will be solved,” Ruto said.
