Businessman JJ Titus/ JJ TITUS/FB
Kenyan businessman and influencer Mwiti Jacob Titus, popularly known as JJ Titus, has lit up social media after revealing that he accidentally bought electricity tokens worth Sh160,000.
The news sparked a wave of disbelief, humour, and relatable confessions from Kenyans online.
In a viral post, Titus said Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) had not allocated him any tokens after the costly transaction and that his attempt to reverse the payment had stalled.
"You didn’t allocate me tokens. I submitted a reversal form, but you have not reversed my money. No token, no money,” he wrote.
Later on, however, he announced that Kenya Power had since begun the reversal process.
The post quickly drew hundreds of reactions from amused Kenyans who, while sympathising with his situation, could not resist poking fun at the “rich people’s problems” moment.
“The only time I’m serious with mathematics is when transferring money; those zeros matter,” Winnie Caleb quipped.
Others shared their own money mishaps.
“I was intending to pay 30 bob, accidentally paid 300… guess who slept hungry with lights on,” Lilian Kaindio joked.
User Deno Rono thanked divine intervention for his low balance.
“I almost bought mine yesterday for 400,000 instead of 400 bob! But who is God? Insufficient balance came through and saved me, wueh!" Rono said.
As memes and jokes flooded timelines, Wangui Kimani added, “Sai ningekuwa Mbagathi, maji tu nawekwa,” while Irene Affluent stated, “My insufficient funds could never.”
Some users even tagged Kenya Power and Safaricom to step in quickly.
“Let me tag Safaricom PLC and Kenya Power Care so they can respond immediately. We need to buy supper and pay school fees!” Vero Kwamboka wrote.
Meanwhile, others prayed, half-jokingly, for the kind of financial “mistake” Titus made.
“Dear Lord, I need such kind of problems,” Cynthie Nduma joked, as Fitieh Milker echoed, “The kind of problems I want, oh Lord! Nikiweka 1600 itaniambia I have insufficient balance.”
Adding to the laughter, Ian Msoo quipped:
“Wan sigiste sausand! Simu yangu ikipitisha 5k, Safaricom huanza kunitumia zile fraud tips messages nikuwe macho nisioshwe!”
Despite the humour, the incident reignited public concern over payment reversal delays and transaction safety when using mobile money for utility bills.
Many urged Kenya Power to streamline its refund processes, noting that even minor errors often take days or weeks to resolve.
"If my 5k reversal took almost 1month the 160k will take 2months.....but that online form is just useless just visit the nearest kplc station with the token kit and the mpesa message," Pauline Wiseman said.
Joy Omuya added, "I'm a customer and my reversal of 10,000 has never been successful to date. It's almost 3 weeks later. No reversal no token. Let me wait and see if mine will be reversed, too."
For now, JJ Titus says Kenya Power has initiated the reversal, and Kenyans online continue to count their blessings… and zeros.
How Kenya Power reversal works
When a customer accidentally sends the wrong amount or buys tokens for the wrong meter, Kenya Power’s reversal process is handled through the company’s Revenue Protection or Customer Service departments.
To begin the process, the customer must report the error within seven days by visiting a Kenya Power office or calling the Kenya Power Care hotline.
The customer fills a payment reversal form, attaching the MPESA message, meter number, ID copy, and payment reference.
Kenya Power then verifies that the tokens were not generated or used. If confirmed, the reversal is approved.
Refunds typically take three to 14 working days, depending on the mobile operator or bank used.
Once complete, the customer receives a confirmation SMS, and funds are credited back to their account or M-Pesa wallet.
Kenya Power says that customers should avoid using third-party apps or agents and ensure they double-check meter numbers and payment amountsbefore confirming transactions, especially large ones.
