Kenya Power warns of rising cases of illegal power connections

Kenya Power has sounded stern warning to those engaging in illegal connections of electricity.

Kenya Power Central Rift Regional Manager Eng Geoffrey Muli said there are individuals busy doing illegal extensions which he said are not properly installed ending up leading to disasters.

He said they are cracking down on the same and those who will be found will face the harsh arm of the law.

“The illegal connections and extensions being done by some individuals have led to disasters and Kenya Power is blamed. We have commenced crackdown and we call on the public to assist us on this” he said.

According to Eng Muli, customers should make all payments for electricity connection at Kenya Power offices and if there are any suspicious activity they should report to the nearest Company offices, police and provincial administration.

The warning from the electricity distributor comes barely a week after the Energy Regulatory Commission raised concern over the growing number of faulty electricity installations in buildings across the country.

The regulator has said building owners will be charged with carrying out period installation checks as well as seeking services from registered electricians.

ERC director general Pavel Oimeke in a notice said it will be shoring up its inspectorate work to ensure building owners comply with the laid out rules.

Illegal power lines and connections also pose danger of electrocution to beneficiaries as they are often not constructed as per the required standards.

Kenya Power is currently implementing the Last Mile Connectivity Project, which seeks to connect customers at Ksh15,000 for single phase meters, to accelerate the country’s rate of access to electricity to 100 per cent by 2020.

On the issue of billing, Eng Muli while noting that it has been a challenge especially meter reading revealed that there has been improvement from 52 percent to 96 percent in the region.

He added that they are committed to quality services through upgrading the primary and sub stations across the region.

Tags:

KENYA POWER Pavel Oimeke Fire ERC Energy Regulatory Commission danger disaster illegal connections Last Mile Connectivity Project

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