Residents Urged To Always Verify Kenya Power Staff

Kerugoya

Friday, August 11, 2023

KNA by Mutai Kipngetich

Mwea West residents in Kirinyaga County have been advised to use existing platforms to verify all the Kenya power staff to avoid being preyed on by impersonators.

Kirinyaga County Kenya Power Ag Manager John Otieno said their staff have a tag bearing image and staff identity Card Number which can be used to verify by using a KP app or sending a sms.

He said the power distributor had launched a mobile service dubbed #JuaForSure to empower customers to verify bonafide Kenya Power employees.

To use the #JuaForSure service one needs to make sure that the person in front of them is the same person on the staff ID that they are holding, then SMS the staff ID number to 95551.

If the staff number is KP9999 their ID would be the 9999. The feedback includes: confirmation of the staff number, their national identification number, their division and their station.

“We have a way of identifying our staff dubbed #JuaForSure. You send a staff card number to 95551 or use our app. You will be able to know who is serving you on behalf of Kenya power,” Otieno said.

Mr. Otieno was addressing Mwea residents at Kenya Power offices in Kerugoya who organized a walk into the Kenya power offices to deliver their petition over delayed connection despite having a transformer since 2018.

One of the frustrated residents said they have been receiving calls from an individual demanding payment to expedite the connection.

Otieno however confirmed the number doesn’t belong to their staff,

The residents from Mbigoini,Matithini and Kariua asked the manager to connect power to over 300 amongst them who have met all requirements but have waited for almost 5 years now to get connected. 

They said they have been left behind in terms of development including business activities compared to other areas who got power earlier.

One of them Peter Gitonga said they got the transformer and poles through the Last Mile Project in 2018 and they were told to do wiring in their homes but they haven’t been connected to the national grid.

“Since 2018 we have no power like our neighbors who are now developing their businesses. We had transformer and pole under Last Mile Project, we even did wiring in buildings but we are only told to keep waiting,” Gitonga said.

On his part the manager said they have already dispatched a team to follow up on the connection and advised residents to individually follow up with the company staff to ascertain whether they were in the connection list.

Courtesy ; K. N. A