Kenya power rolls out smart meters

By Samuel Ouma

Kenya Power has launched a smart meter technology to facilitate two-way communication between the company and its customers.

Unveiling the project in Kenya’s lake city of Kisumu, the company’s Managing Director Bernard Ngugi said the new system targets 5,000 customers in the country's small and medium enterprises (SMEs) sector.

The new technology will enable customers to access real-time information on their consumption and billing through an online portal.

There will be an immediate solution in case of a power outage since the smart meters can communicate directly with the company's National Contact Centre.

Customers also will receive notifications directly on their phones via SMS.

The Kshs.1.25 billion World Bank-funded project is set to be completed by June 30, 2021.

“These combined benefits of error-free data, prompt network problem identification, and audit of energy consumption will go a long way in enhancing service delivery to our customers in the SME sector,” said CEO Ngugi.

“We believe that the advanced metering technology will further enhance customer satisfaction based on the visibility and prompt detection of power usage and also reduce technical losses which are key to ensuring reliable and quality supply of power,” he added.

The company aims to install the smart meters for all SMEs by the end of the 2023/2024 financial year.