KPLC Scales up Connectivity to accelerating Universal Access

• Kenya Power and Lighting Company(KPLC) Scales up Connectivity to accelerate attainment of Universal Access  to Electricity;

Kenya Power and Lighting Company(KPLC) surpassed its connectivity target for the Half Year period to December 2023 by 13.87 percent having connected 256.206 new customers to the grid against a target of 225,000 customers.The new customer connections increased the total customer base to 9,454,819 customers.

The accelerated connectivity was driven by the availability of meters and the deployment of the Rapid Results Initiative (RRI) which is meant to fast track meter installation for new connections across the country.

At the beginning of October 2023 when the Rapid Results Initiative (RRI) was launched,the total pending new connections stood at 236,924.The backlog resulted to from protracted court battles that hindered procurement of meters  and other materials.

The improvement in Meter availability ,initiated a metering initiative to accelerate connections.The target was exceeded for the Half Year period towards the attainment of of annual target which positively impacted the journey of universal access to electricity by the year 2030,Said KPLC CEO & MD Dr.(Eng) Joseph Siror during the press conference at Stima Plaza.

The Utility firm is targeting to connect 400,000 households (new customers) to the national grid by the end of the current financial year.To attain universal access to electricity ,the Company will sustain the connectivity drive,with an additional 4 million customers targeted to be connected by the year 2030.

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

So far 1,431,423 customers have been connected to the grid through LMCP that is funded by the Government of Kenya and development partners including:the World Bank,AfDP,AFD,European investments Bank (EIB) and JICA.

However preparations are ongoing for phase 4 rollout of the Last Mile Connectivity Project (LMCP) financed by AFD/EU and EIB.The project will target to connect over 280,000 households across the 32 counties within 18 months

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Paul Arithi

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