Kenya Power switches on automated power connections portal

Utility firm Kenya Power has unveiled a self-service portal enabling customers to apply for electricity connections remotely.

The new service runs on the company’s mobile application My Power and on its website.

Customers will be required to submit land & property ownership documents, ID cards and PIN certificates while making the contact less applications.

Subsequently, customers can track the progress of their applications via USSD code inquiries and from text messages sent by the company.

“The portal is in line with one of the company’s core strategic pillars of enhancing customer experience aimed at making services more accessible to customers. The convenient application process will also help drive sales, which is among the key pillars of our turnaround strategy,” said the Managing Director Bernard Ngugi.

“Electricity application has never attracted any charges and will remain free. This digitized process will help curtail opportunities for middlemen and fraudsters to exploit customers.”

The launch of the self-service portal follows a pilot operation which saw 7,000 new connections processed.

The online application is among several other services accessible to customers by way of self-service.

Others include the reporting of power outages, prepaid token purchase queries and the submission of meter readings to get actual monthly bills for post-paid customers.

Kenya Power says it is seeking to fully digitize new power connections, a process set to reduce the time taken to issue a quotation after application and make it easier to locate a customer’s premises in response to service requests.