Kenya Power adopts new meter reading technology to boost billing accuracy

Kenya Power token/FILE

Kenya Power has introduced a new meter reading technology designed to improve the accuracy, efficiency, and speed of collecting customer consumption data, marking a fresh milestone in the company’s digital transformation initiatives.

In a statement issued on Monday, November 24, 2025, the utility firm announced the rollout of Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology across all its eight regions.

The OCR system replaces the traditional manual method of typing meter numbers and readings, instead allowing meter readers to simply scan a meter’s display for instant digital capture.

According to the company, this transition is expected to drastically reduce human error while cutting down the time spent collecting monthly data from postpaid customers.

“Technology is a major driver of our business, and in terms of billing, specifically meter reading, we have been looking at how to make it better and more accurate," Kenya Power's Commercial Cycle Manager Richard Wida said.

With the OCR system, the meter reader will just be required to scan the meter, and the system will pick the meter readings automatically. This will save time and eliminate human error that is likely to occur if the meter reader manually types the readings."

The nationwide rollout follows a successful six-month pilot programme conducted in Nairobi between March and September 2025.

Kenya Power now aims to deploy the technology to all 1.8 million postpaid meters that still require physical reading and monthly submission of consumption data for billing.

Beyond efficiency, Kenya Power says the new system will play a key role in reducing the billing anomalies that have long been a source of customer complaints.

Errors arising from misread or inaccurately entered data are among the most common causes of disputed bills.

“The OCR technology is a major milestone in Kenya Power’s digital transformation journey through which the Company is aiming to strengthen service delivery and enhance customer experience. It will complement other technologies that the Company has deployed to improve service delivery and strengthen operations,” Wida added.

The company has also been expanding digital self-service platforms such as the Mypower App and USSD code *977#, which allow customers to check bills, report outages and submit self-readings.

Kenya Power says OCR will eventually integrate into these platforms.

Through these platforms, postpaid customers are already able to manually read their meters and submit monthly readings for more accurate billing. The new technology is expected to improve this function even further.

“In future, we want to enable the use of OCR in self-reading so that our customers can enjoy the convenience of reading their meters with minimal chance of error,” Wida said.

In addition to the OCR rollout, Kenya Power has also deployed a smart metering system for large power consumers, SMEs, and selected domestic users.

Unlike conventional meters, smart meters support two-way communication, enabling remote meter reading, disconnections, and reconnections—all without the need for on-site visits.

The adoption of OCR marks yet another major move by the utility company to modernise its operations and deliver more reliable, customer-centered services.

With the system now in active rollout, Kenya Power says it expects significant improvements in billing accuracy and overall customer satisfaction in the months ahead.