Kenya Power and Lighting Company has asked customers to allow its staff access to electricity meters, saying locked gates and sealed meter boxes are slowing the rollout of a new digital meter reading system across the country.
In a notice issued on March 9, the power company said many of its technicians have been unable to capture electricity readings because they cannot access meters located inside homes, businesses or locked compounds.
The company is currently rolling out an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) system that is meant to replace manual meter reading. Under the new system, field officers use mobile devices to scan the numbers displayed on electricity meters instead of writing them down manually.
Kenya Power said the new technology is expected to make the billing process faster and more accurate.
“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. Customers are therefore requested to allow our staff access to the meters within their premises,” the company said in a statement.
The OCR technology works by using a device camera to capture the numbers displayed on the meter. The system then records the reading instantly, reducing the chances of mistakes that sometimes occur when readings are entered manually.
The technology can read numbers on both digital and traditional mechanical meters. Kenya Power says this will help meter readers capture electricity usage within seconds and eliminate paperwork that has previously slowed the billing process.
According to the utility firm, the new system is part of a broader plan to digitise its operations and improve services to customers while making billing more transparent.
The OCR system was first introduced in Nairobi in November 2025 before the company began expanding it to other parts of the country. The rollout is expected to cover nearly two million postpaid electricity meters nationwide.
Kenya Power says the system will also help reduce disputes over estimated bills because readings will be captured directly from the meter and uploaded to the system immediately.
Customers have been advised to confirm the identity of visiting officers before allowing them into their premises. The company said all staff visiting homes or businesses will carry official identification cards showing their employee number and national ID details.