By Daniel Kamau
Kenya Power will close all its remaining payment counters in banking halls by June 2027 as part of a plan to transition fully to digital payments and customer service channels.
The utility says online and mobile platforms now facilitate more than five million customer engagements every month, reflecting a growing shift toward digital service delivery.
Under the phased rollout, payment counters in Nyeri, Thika and Kisii will be closed by the end of this month. Counters in Nakuru, Kisumu and Eldoret will follow by the end of 2026, while the final phase will involve the closure of Nairobi Electricity House, Stima Plaza and Mombasa Electricity House by June 2027.
The move underscores Kenya Power’s confidence in digital service delivery as it seeks to reduce operational costs, improve efficiency and enhance customer convenience through technology.
The company has sought to allay fears of job losses, stating that employees currently stationed at payment counters will be redeployed to customer service and customer education roles.
Kenya Power is also rolling out a customer experience transformation training programme targeting more than 1,500 frontline employees across the country.
Speaking during the launch of the Twende Digital Campaign and Customer Experience Roadshows in Nairobi, Acting Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Jeremiah Kiplagat said the decision was informed by changing customer behaviour and the rapid adoption of digital channels.
“Since the introduction of these digital solutions, we have witnessed a remarkable 70 per cent reduction in customer traffic within our banking halls. This is a clear indication that our customers are ready and willing to transition to digital service channels,” he said during the flag-off of the Customer Experience Roadshows at Stima Plaza in Nairobi.
Kenya Power’s digital ecosystem allows customers to purchase electricity tokens, pay bills, obtain digital receipts, submit meter readings, report outages and interact with the utility remotely.
The services are accessible through the MyPower mobile application, USSD code *977#, and other digital platforms.
The transition is expected to improve operational efficiency and reduce the time and costs associated with customers visiting physical offices. For a utility serving more than 10 million customers, digital engagement offers a more effective way of handling high volumes of transactions and service requests.
The shift has been supported by the deployment of smart meters to improve monitoring, billing accuracy and service delivery. The company is also using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology and self-reading platforms to streamline meter-reading processes and reduce manual interventions.
Industry analysts view the closure of payment counters as part of a broader transformation taking place across Kenya’s utility and financial services sectors, where digital channels have increasingly become the preferred mode of customer engagement.
However, the transition is expected to test the company’s ability to support customers who may face challenges adapting to digital platforms, particularly elderly consumers and those with limited digital literacy.
To address these concerns, Kenya Power has launched the Twende Digital Campaign, which will be accompanied by customer experience roadshows across Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret, Central Rift, North Eastern and Western regions.
The programme will focus on educating customers on digital services, fraud prevention, electrical safety and e-cooking solutions.
