Senate calls on power agency to draw long-term contract for firms

A Senate oversight committee has asked Kenya Power to come up with long-term contractual framework with electricity meters producers.

This is to enable the producers to have a guarantee in getting business for their products with the country currently having a shortage of 450,000 meters.

The Senate Energy Committee Chairman Wahome Wamatinga (pictured) who led members on a fact-finding mission to the premises of four smart electricity meter companies in Nairobi said that this will give the companies an assurance of their products being acquired since some of them have been idle for the last two years.

Committee members visited Magnate Ventures Meters plant, Yocean Group Limited, Smart Meters Company and Inhemeter Africa Company.

The visit to the digital meters firms comes after Kenyans raised complaints over lack of electricity meters yet there are companies ready to produce them.

“We are asking Kenya Power to come up with a clear contractual agreement with electricity meter producers in the country so that the producers can be assured of business for their products since the state agency is there only customer,” said Wamatinga.

Smart Ventures Limited Chief Executive Officer Stanley Kinyanjui told the Senators that despite his company having the capacity to produce 4,000 smart meters per day the last time they supplied to KPLC was in 2021 and that they were ready to produce enough meters for the country.

Kinyanjui told the committee members that his company is a locally owned enterprise and that smart metres acquisition is done through a tender system with KPLC.

Kinyanjui further stated that, with a growing demand for housing in the country they were ready to ensure a constant supply given a chance.

The Smart Ventures Chief Executive told the committee that he had spent Sh350 million to set up the factory in Industrial Area in Nairobi.