Kenya Power eyes 400,000 new customers after surpassing connectivity target

Kenya Power is planning to add 400,000 more customers to its grid by the end of the current financial year after surpassing its connectivity target for the second quarter of the financial year 2023/ 2024.

The company announced on Tuesday that it exceeded its target for the half-year period to December 2023 by 13.87 per cent, supplying power to 256,206 new customers against a target of 225,000.

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Joseph Siror said the accelerated connectivity was driven by the availability of meters and the deployment of the Rapid Results Initiative (RRI).

Siror said the new customer connections increased the total customer base to 9,454,819.

"Following the improvement in meter availability, we recently initiated a metering initiative to accelerate connections. We have exceeded our target ... and are on course towards the attainment of our annual target, which will positively impact the journey towards universal access to electricity by the year 2030,” he said.

He presented key highlights from the Operational Performance Report for Q2 of FY 2023/2024 at Stima Plaza, Nairobi.

The RRI is expected to fast-track meter installation for new connections across the country.

To attain universal access to electricity, Kenya Power said it will sustain the connectivity drive, with an additional four million customers targeted for connectivity by 2030.

During the launch of RRI in October 2023, the number of pending new connections stood at 236,924, with Kenya Power saying the backlog resulted from protracted court battles that hindered the procurement of meters and other materials.

The company further said it will bank on the implementation of other initiatives, such as the Last Mile Connectivity Project (LMCP), to meet its targets.

“So far, 1,431,423 customers have been connected to the grid through the Last Mile Connectivity Project that is funded by the Government of Kenya and development partners including the World Bank, the African Development Bank (AFDB), AFD, European Union (EU), European Investment Bank (EIB) and JICA,” read the statement.

It noted that preparations were ongoing for the rollout of phase 4 of the LMCP, which aims to supply electricity to 280,000 customers across 32 counties within 18 months.