Kenya Power has launched a program that will see most people from informal settlements get reconnected at a subsidised cost.
Those to benefit are those who had been disconnected due to a number of reasons.
Kenya power Managing Director and CEO Dr Ben Chumo said that they have started the program in Machaka slum in Meru County which is the largest rural slum in the country where they connected more than 500 people last week.
Speaking during the signing of Sh 17 billion loan agreement with Standard Chartered Bank which will be used to implement infrastructural development projects, Chumo said that they will make sure that all slum dwellers who cannot access power due to disconnection will be able to have their power connected back at a cost of Sh 1, 000 instead of Sh 3,000.
He said that for the company to recover its unpaid bills, they are going to disconnect all their old debtors so that they can reduce their losses from 17.5 per cent to 15 per cent.
He revealed that the company will use the funds it is getting from the bank to support the ongoing power expansion and system upgrade projects being implemented in various parts of the country.
“Kenya power will use the funds to make huge investments in acquisition of additional transformers and other construction materials in the next one year. These materials will be used to construct new substations and power lines while at the same time upgrading others to enhance capacity of the power network and improve quality and reliability of power supply to customers,” he said.
He added the distribution network is highly required to be adequately robust to accommodate one million customers who they are targeting to be connected during the current financial year.