Kenya Power's customer base hits 9.4 million

Kenya Power connected 256,206 new customers to the national electricity grid in the half-year period to December 2023, bringing its customer base to 9,454,819, the utility said on Tuesday.

The company said this was 13.87 per cent more than the 225,000 customers it was targeting to connect to the grid during this period.

In October last year, the electricity provider launched a nationwide Rapid Results Initiative (RRI) to fast-track meter installation for new connections.

At the time, pending new connections stood at 236,924, which Kenya Power attributed to protracted court battles that hindered the procurement of meters and other materials.

Kenya Power Managing Director and CEO Joseph Siror on Tuesday said meter availability has since improved, adding that the company targets to connect 400,000 new customers to the national grid by the end of the current financial year and an additional 4 million by 2030.

Kenya Power is also banking on the implementation of other projects such as the Last Mile Connectivity Project (LMCP) to achieve its annual connectivity targets.

It said so far, 1,431,423 customers have been connected to the grid through the LMCP which is funded by the Kenyan government and development partners including the World Bank, African Development Bank (AfDB), AFD, European Union (EU), European Investment Bank (BIB) and JICA.

“Preparations are ongoing for the rollout of Phase 4 of the Last Mile Connectivity Project which is financed by AFD/EU and EIB. The project targets to connect 280,000 customers across 32 counties within 18 months,” the utility added.