Kenya Power Dismisses Report It Inflated Customer Electricity Bills By 20%: "It's A False Narrative"

• Auditor General Nancy Gathungu presented a report to the National Assembly Committee that showed 20% of power bills did not match consumers actual consumption
• Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) declined the claim saying losses resulting from power transmission are factored in the tariff
• The utility firm said the claims are not factual and are geared towards creating a false narrative around the cost of electricity

Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) has denied claims that it exaggerated consumer electricity bills by up to 20% of power not consumed.

A report by the Auditor General to the National Assembly Committee on Energy showed that KPLC electricity bills loaded to customers do not match the actual consumption.

Kenya Power tariff

In a statement released on Tuesday, August 8, Kenya Power said that all charges in the electricity bills are approved by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA).

"Electricity bills are computed based on customer consumption which is the difference between the current meter reading and the previous reading. The approved base tariffs, levies and taxes are then applied to the consumption to compute the customer’s monthly bill," said KPLC.

The utility firm acknowledged power losses through the transmission and distribution of electricity, saying there is an allowable threshold factored in the tariff.

EPRA allowed system losses up to a maximum of 18.5% for the current financial year 2023.

"Kenya Power meets the cost of system losses incurred above what is allowed. Each month, the regulator checks and verifies that Kenya Power charges customers based on the approved rates," the statement continued in part.

The audit report claimed that out of 96 power generation plants supplying electricity to KPLC, only 38 had check meters connected off the grid.

However, Kenya Power revealed it gets its power through 100 delivery points from 58 power suppliers that include KenGen, IPPs, REREC and imports and all are verified to have both main and check meters.

Consumer Federation wants compensation

This prompted a reaction from Consumer Federation Kenya (COFEK), demanding a refund of the money to customers.

COFEK secretary-general Stephen Mutoro condemned Kenya Power for the action, which has seen several complaints raised by consumers for years.

"Kenya Power should make a commitment to refund consumers of their hard-earned money. We do not expect them to defend this course in the court of law," said Mutoro in response to TUKO.co.ke.

In a press statement released on Monday, August 7, the consumer body said KPLC's move to inflate power bills is an indictment that cannot be defended at any cost.

The federation called on Kenya Power to apologise to all consumers and share a recovery plan for the 20% exaggerated bills and interest accrued, at least for the past 10 years.