By EDWIN OKOTHMore by this AuthorThe Jubilee government’s push to hook up rural households to the national power grid under the Last Mile project continues to meet strong setbacks as homes default on buying electricity. Kenya Power regional managers who spoke to the Sunday Nation in confidence said they have been forced to seize several meters from rural households who are unwilling to pay for power or could not afford it. The theft of power in rural areas has become a lucrative business run by former Kenya Power staff and electricians contracted in the World Bank-funded Last Mile Connectivity Project. It essentially shows that Kenya Power connected 77,047 more customers in rural areas during the year but collected Sh1.07 billion less. The economic survey also reported reduction in sales in rural areas, with a 5.4 per cent drop recorded to 569GWh in 2019 largely due to the availability of stolen electricity.

Source: Daily Nation May 05, 2020 08:48 UTC