Kenya Power to employ students to read meters
Kenya Power will employ over 500 students to reinforce its meter reading teams even as the company intensifies plans to its meter inspection exercise beginning next week.
Kenya Power managing director Ben Chumo said majority of the students will be drawn from the Institute of Energy Studies and Research (formerly Kenya Power Training School) and other technical colleges located near the company’s branches in various parts of the country.
Dr Chumo said the students will team up the company’s meter readers numbering 700 in an exercise aimed at correcting estimated customer bills, detecting cases of meter tampering and recovering accumulated debt owed to the company amounting to Sh3.9 billion.
“Despite the revenue collection billed against accounts standing at an impressive 99 per cent, low meter reading coverage averaging 66 per cent has, over the years, led to the accrued debt. Our monthly revenue collection averages at Shs.10 billion,” he revealed.
He said the campaign will address customer complaints arising from estimated power bills; enhance Company’s sales; secure its revenue and in addition ensure sustainability of its business.
Dr Chumo attributes reasons for low meter reading coverage to inaccessible meter boxes located in locked residential premises as well as inadequate human resources to match the growing number of customers.