The Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) has introduced a new meter reading technology aimed at enhancing efficiency, accuracy, and speed of meter data collection.
In a statement on Monday, November 24, KPLC announced that the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) system eliminates the need for manual typing of meter numbers and readings.
KPLC’s Commercial Cycle Manager, Richard Wida, noted that the system will automatically capture meter readings after scanning.
"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. 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," said Wida.
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The rollout of the OCR system targets all of Kenya Power’s 8 regions across the country,
It also follows a successful pilot that was carried out for six months in Nairobi from March 2025.
“A total of 1.8 million postpaid meters are targeted to be read using OCR technology. These are the post-paid meters whose readings must be taken manually and submitted every month for billing,” KPLC stated.
The utility firm also said the OCR system is geared towards reducing billing anomalies that arise from erroneous meter readings.
"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 rollout of the new technology comes even as KPLC is planning to migrate postpaid customers to the prepaid system.
The firm is largely targeting customers in rural areas who are connected with post-paid meters.
KPLC’s customer base has surpassed 10 million after adding 401,848 new customers in the year ending June 2025.
On July 31, KPLC recorded its highest-ever electricity demand, reaching a new peak of 2,362.28 megawatts (MW).
Kenya Power attributed the surge in demand to new customer connections and increased grid usage during the cold season.
"The new peak demand is a testament to our commitment to drive national electricity access through the deployment of various electrification projects. When we look at our electricity dispatch figures, we realise that electricity demand has increased by 46 MW in the last five months since February, when we had the first peak demand this year.
“We expect the momentum to continue as we roll out more connectivity projects across the country,” KPLC MD Joseph Siror stated.
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