Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) has issued guidance for customers who cannot load prepaid electricity tokens after receiving a “Failed” message on their meters.
For customers who have already paid for electricity but cannot load their units, the problem may be linked to the meter’s connection, commissioning, or the token-loading process rather than the purchase itself.
Kenya Power has provided specific instructions for customers facing the problem, including a procedure for commissioning the prepaid meter before attempting to load the token again.
How Customers Can Commission the Meter
James Lewis, a user on X, reported difficulty in loading purchased tokens; the power utility advised the customer to commission the meter before trying to load the units again.
“Kindly dial 096 or 865 and press enter to commission the meter. Then enter your meter number, press enter, proceed to load the units, and share your feedback,” the power company said.
The instruction requires customers to use the CIU, the device normally used to enter prepaid tokens, and follow the commissioning procedure before attempting to load the electricity units.
Also Read: Kenya Power Explains Steps to Follow When an Electricity Meter Is Stolen
Kenya Power’s prepaid-meter guidance also advises customers to ensure that the CIU is properly connected when loading tokens. The company says the CIU should be connected to a wall socket and have functioning batteries where necessary to allow communication with the prepaid meter.
A customer experiencing a failed token should first confirm whether the CIU is communicating with the meter before repeatedly entering the token.
Steps in Commissioning CIU
- Dial 096 or 865 on the CIU
- Press Enter
- Enter the meter number
- Press Enter again
Once the commissioning process is complete, the customer can enter the electricity token purchased earlier.
The token normally consists of 20 digits, which must be entered correctly into the CIU to avoid rejection.
Kenya Power also advises customers to confirm that they are loading the token onto the correct meter. This is particularly important where a household has recently moved, changed meters, or has more than one prepaid meter.
If the CIU does not communicate with the meter, customers should check whether the meter has power and whether the CIU batteries are working. A connection problem can prevent the token from being processed even when the token itself is valid.
Also Read: Kenya Power Explains ‘Token Bypass’ Error on Customer Interface Units (CIUs)
Other reasons a KPLC token may be rejected
A failed token is not always caused by a problem with the purchase. Kenya Power has identified several issues that can affect prepaid token loading, including meter software updates and the order in which update codes are entered.
KPLC conducted the “Update Token Meter Yako” exercise to update prepaid meters to the required software configuration.
Customers with meters affected by the update process may receive reset and update codes that must be entered into the CIU in the required order.
Where the token continues to fail after the meter has been commissioned and the CIU connection has been checked, customers can seek assistance from Kenya Power through its customer service channels, including 97771 and *977#.
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