The Kenya Power and Lighting Company has announced plans to do away with the system that allows a single connected customer to have multiple meters, a move likely to affect landlords.
In a notice sent out to regional managers, the power supplier said that landlords and customers in general will only have one meter per plot henceforth according to newly adopted guidelines.
The rules, according to Kenya Power, will also apply to owners with more than one unit.
In the notice, Kenya Power’s Acting General Manager of Infrastructure Development Kenedy Ogalo said owners of premises with multiple units including apartments and flats will henceforth get one meter.
Further, the Manager explained that applications for meter separations would no longer be processed.
Instead, Kenya Power will resort to using sub-metering depending on the owners’ preference.
As a result, the ban would see landlords take over the responsibility of paying for electricity bills of their tenants.
“This will imply that new applications from premises with multiple units like apartments, flats, and others, shall comprise only one meter,” the notice sent out to regional managers read.
Some landlords to be exempted
However, housing units with multiple owners including gated communities and affordable housing units by the government will be exempted from the ban, according to KPLC.
Landlord and owners of rental property in Kenya have widely embraced the use of multiple meters in the country.
Also Read: KPLC Explains How it Sunk Into Ksh3.2 Billion Loss
The system allows various tenants in the blocks to pay their respective power bills and hence saving the landlords from the burden of shouldering the entire cost.
“In the construction stage, the prerequisites of this stage shall remain wayleave approval, submission of wiring certificates, and contracting the customer account. Execution of the scheme shall be as designed,” the utility firm announced.
Meter scandals in Kenya Power
KPLC’s ban on multiple meters under a single connection is part of the company’s sustained efforts to address revenue losses due to infiltration of its meter systems.
On Tuesday, for instance, the utility company announced a tender for smart meters in a plan aimed at preventing further intrusion from cartels.
Also Read: Kenya Power Gives Way Forward After Token Hitch
The company intends to roll out smart meters across the country to enhance efficiency and transparency in the metering system.
For years, Kenya Power has been battling cases of infiltration in its system which leads to revenue loss amid a loss-making spree.
In addition to revenue loss, the company’s metering system has been characterized with complaints of inflated bills forcing consumers to pay more than the used power.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi in August asked the Inspectorate of State Corporations to investigate the allegations of bill inflation.
Mudavadi noted that investigations would help ensure accountability and safeguard public interest.
