The Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) has secured funding from the World Bank to support an off-grid solar access project and the procurement of electricity meters.
The development was announced in a tender notice issued on Tuesday, May 5, outlining plans to use the financing to expand access to electricity infrastructure and equipment.
"The Kenya Government has received financing from the World Bank toward the cost of Kenya Off- Grid Solar Access Project and intends to apply part of the proceeds toward payments under the contract for Procurement of Single Phase Pre-Paid Meters and Miniature Circuit Breakers," the notice read
Kenya Power further outlined the payment method under the contract, in line with World Bank financing guidelines.
"For this contract, the Borrower shall process the payments using the Direct Payment disbursement method, as defined in the World Bank's Disbursement Guidelines for Investment Project Financing," the notice added.
Read More
As such, Kenya Power invited eligible bidders to participate in the procurement process for the required equipment.
"The Kenya Power and Lighting Company PLC now invites sealed Bids from eligible Bidders for Procurement of Single Phase Pre-Paid Meters and Miniature Circuit Breakers as detailed in the issued bidding document," the notice further read.
Kenya Power outlined the procurement method, stating that the bidding process will follow international standards set by the World Bank.
"Bidding will be conducted through international competitive procurement using a Request for Bids (RFB) as specified in the World Bank's "Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers" September 2025 ("Procurement Regulations") and is open to all eligible Bidders as defined in the Procurement Regulations," the notice concluded.
This comes two months after Kenya Power issued a notice to customers across the country as it began rolling out a new electricity meter reading system.
In a notice on Tuesday, March 10, Kenya Power said the new technology would modernize how its teams captured meter readings, replacing the traditional manual process.
According to the company, the system worked by scanning the meter display rather than relying on staff to manually input numbers.
"Kenya Power has introduced an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) system for electricity meter reading.
"The OCR system allows our teams to scan meter displays directly, instead of manually typing meter numbers and readings. This improves the accuracy and efficiency of billing, helping ensure customers receive correct bills," the notice read.
Kenya Power noted that some challenges had emerged during the early stages of the nationwide rollout, particularly when meter readers were unable to access meters located inside locked premises or secured boxes.
"As the system is being rolled out across the country, we have noted that locked premises and meter boxes are the main challenge affecting meter reading," the notice added.
Because of this, the company asked customers to cooperate with staff when they visited homes or business premises to take meter readings.
"Customers are therefore kindly requested to allow our staff access to meters within their premises, including opening meter boxes where necessary," the notice continued.
Kenya Power reassured customers about safety and verification procedures when staff visited their premises to take readings.
"For your safety, all Kenya Power staff visiting customer premises will carry official identification cards with their staff number and national ID details. Customers can also verify anyone claiming to be a Kenya Power employee by dialling *977# and selecting the Jua for Sure option," the notice concluded.
