Kenya Power and Lighting Company
Kenya's principal electricity distribution and retail utility, supplying power to households, businesses, public institutions and industry across the country.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Kenya Power and Lighting Company, commonly known as Kenya Power or KPLC, is Kenya's principal electricity distribution and retail utility. It is a public liability company listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange and serves as the main interface between the national electricity system and most electricity customers in Kenya. Its responsibilities include distributing and selling electricity, connecting customers, operating and reading meters, billing, handling customer relations, managing emergency electricity services and supporting the reliability of the distribution network. The company's institutional history is rooted in the development of electricity supply in coastal and inland East Africa. Its origins are commonly traced to the generator acquired in 1875 by Seyyied Barghash, the Sultan of Zanzibar, for lighting his palace and nearby streets. That equipment was acquired in 1908 by Mombasa merchant Harrali Esmailjee Jeevanjee, contributing to the formation of the Mombasa Electric Power and Lighting Company. In the same year, engineer Clement Hirtzel received an exclusive right to supply Nairobi with electricity, leading to the Nairobi Power and Lighting Syndicate. The two undertakings merged in 1922 as the East African Power and Lighting Company, which became the region's principal private electricity enterprise. East African Power and Lighting expanded beyond Kenya during the colonial period. It acquired a controlling interest in the Tanganyika Electricity Supply Company in 1932 and obtained generation and distribution licences in Uganda in 1936. Its Ugandan operations were transferred to the Uganda Electricity Board in 1948, while its Tanzanian interests were sold to the Government of Tanzania in 1964. The company's geographic concentration in Kenya ultimately led to its renaming as Kenya Power and Lighting Company in 1983. A major institutional separation occurred in 1954, when Kenya Power Company was established to develop the transmission connection between Nairobi and Tororo in Uganda and enable Kenya to receive electricity generated at Owen Falls Dam. Kenya Power Company was managed by East African Power and Lighting under a management agreement. In 1997, Kenya Power Company was de-merged from Kenya Power and Lighting and later became Kenya Electricity Generating Company, or KenGen. In 2008, the transmission-infrastructure function was separated from Kenya Power and assigned to Kenya Electricity Transmission Company, or KETRACO. Kenya Power subsequently retained its central role in electricity distribution, retail supply and customer service, and adopted the Kenya Power brand in 2011. The company supplies electricity to domestic consumers as well as offices, schools, hospitals and industrial customers. Its operating activities include network development, customer connections, metering, billing, maintenance and restoration of service. It has also used its optical-fibre network, installed along high-voltage electricity lines, to provide connectivity capacity to telecommunications companies. In 2015, its Kenya Power Training School was elevated into the Institute of Energy Studies and Research, with a mandate to provide training for the power sector, including generation, transmission, distribution and interconnection. Kenya Power has faced continuing public and financial pressure. Criticism has included complaints about high or disputed electricity bills, service interruptions and the company's losses and debt burden. In April 2021, reported commercial debt stood at KSh 65.5 billion, a figure that illustrated the financial strain affecting the utility despite its position in the electricity value chain. The company has also participated in regional power-import arrangements. In 2022, it began importing 200 MW from Ethiopia under a 25-year power-purchase agreement, with the contracted quantity scheduled to rise to 400 MW after the first three years. In 2024, Kenya and Uganda were discussing a formal arrangement for Kenya to purchase 100 MW from Uganda, potentially replacing an existing energy-exchange arrangement. Kenya Power therefore combines the functions of a mass-market public utility, a listed company and a participant in East African electricity integration.
History
Kenya Power's history developed from several early electricity undertakings in East Africa rather than from a single founding entrepreneur. The earliest origin cited for the Kenyan electricity sector is a generator acquired in 1875 by Seyyied Barghash, the Sultan of Zanzibar, to illuminate his palace and nearby streets. In 1908, the generator was acquired by Mombasa merchant Harrali Esmailjee Jeevanjee, helping establish the Mombasa Electric Power and Lighting Company to supply electricity on the island. Electricity development also began in Nairobi in 1908. Engineer Clement Hirtzel received an exclusive right to supply the city, leading to the Nairobi Power and Lighting Syndicate. The Mombasa and Nairobi enterprises merged in 1922 as the East African Power and Lighting Company, which became the central electricity business serving Kenya and parts of the wider East African region. The company expanded regionally during the 1930s. In 1932 it acquired a controlling interest in the Tanganyika Electricity Supply Company, and in 1936 it obtained generation and distribution licences in Uganda. Its Ugandan role ended in 1948 when the Uganda Electricity Board assumed responsibility for distribution. In 1954, Kenya Power Company was formed to build the transmission line linking Nairobi with Tororo in Uganda. The project was intended to transmit electricity from Owen Falls Dam to Kenya, and Kenya Power Company operated under management by East African Power and Lighting. East African Power and Lighting also became one of the early companies listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange after listing its shares in 1954. The company's regional structure changed after independence. It sold its interest in Tanzania's electricity business to the Tanzanian government in 1964. After its operations became concentrated in Kenya, East African Power and Lighting was renamed Kenya Power and Lighting Company in 1983. Kenya Power Company was separated from the company in 1997 and subsequently rebranded as Kenya Electricity Generating Company, now known as KenGen. This separation distinguished electricity generation from the distribution and supply functions retained by Kenya Power. Another major restructuring took place in 2008, when Kenya's electricity-transmission infrastructure function was transferred from Kenya Power to the newly created Kenya Electricity Transmission Company, or KETRACO. Kenya Power remained responsible for the customer-facing distribution and retail business, including connections, metering, billing, service restoration and customer relations. In June 2011, the company adopted the shorter Kenya Power brand, although the legal name Kenya Power and Lighting Company continued to identify the listed public utility. Kenya Power's service base includes households, industry, offices, schools and hospitals. In addition to electricity distribution, it manages customer metering and billing and operates an optical-fibre network installed along high-voltage power lines. That network has supported connectivity services for telecommunications companies and also serves operational needs associated with the electricity grid. In 2015, the company elevated its Kenya Power Training School to the Institute of Energy Studies and Research, intended to provide technical and professional training for the power sector in Kenya and countries connected to the Northern Corridor. The utility has periodically attracted criticism over service quality, electricity charges and financial performance. Public controversy has included complaints about unusually high or disputed bills and concern about losses despite the company's central position in electricity sales. A reported commercial debt of KSh 65.5 billion in April 2021 illustrated the scale of its financial challenge, although the available reference material does not provide a complete accounting history or a current balance-sheet position. Kenya Power has also become more integrated into regional electricity trading. In 2022, it entered a 25-year agreement under which Ethiopian Electric Power would sell electricity to Kenya Power. Imports were set at 200 MW for the first three years and planned to rise to 400 MW for the remaining 22 years, with transmission through the Sodo–Moyale–Suswa high-voltage line. In 2024, Kenya and Uganda were negotiating a formal 100 MW power-purchase agreement that could replace an existing exchange arrangement between their distribution utilities. These developments show Kenya Power's continuing role as Kenya's principal electricity retailer and as a participant in cross-border power procurement.
- 2022
Long-term Ethiopian electricity import agreement
[1]Kenya Power began importing 200 MW from Ethiopia under a 25-year agreement, with a planned increase to 400 MW after the initial three years.
- 2015
Training school elevated to energy research institute
[1]Kenya Power Training School became the Institute of Energy Studies and Research, broadening its role in power-sector training.
- 2011
Kenya Power brand adopted
[1]The company adopted Kenya Power as its public-facing brand in June 2011.
- 2008
Transmission infrastructure transferred to KETRACO
[1]The electricity-transmission infrastructure function was carved out of Kenya Power and transferred to the newly formed Kenya Electricity Transmission Company.
- 1997
Generation business separated
[1]Kenya Power Company was de-merged from Kenya Power and Lighting and later became Kenya Electricity Generating Company, or KenGen.
- 1983
Renamed Kenya Power and Lighting Company
[1]After its operations became concentrated in Kenya, East African Power and Lighting adopted the Kenya Power and Lighting Company name.
- 1964
Tanzanian interests sold
[1]East African Power and Lighting exited Tanzania by selling its stake in the Tanganyika electricity business to the Government of Tanzania.
- 1954
Kenya Power Company established
[1]Kenya Power Company was created to construct the Nairobi–Tororo transmission line and was managed by East African Power and Lighting under contract.
- 1936
Uganda generation and distribution licences obtained
[1]The company expanded its East African presence by obtaining electricity-generation and distribution licences in Uganda.
- 1932
Expansion into Tanganyika
[1]East African Power and Lighting acquired a controlling interest in the Tanganyika Electricity Supply Company.
Products and positioning
National electricity distribution and retail utility with a public-service mandate and listed-company structure
Electric utility service
Electricity distribution and retail supply
Kenya Power distributes electricity to domestic users, businesses, offices, schools, hospitals and industrial customers throughout Kenya. Its retail role includes supplying customers, managing accounts, responding to service requests and coordinating restoration when outages occur. Following the separation of generation and transmission functions into other state-linked entities, distribution and customer-facing electricity supply became the company's defining business.
Utility infrastructure service
Customer connections and metering
The company provides electricity connections and manages customer metering, meter-related services and usage information. These functions connect new customers to the distribution network and support the billing process for residential, commercial, institutional and industrial users.
Utility customer service
Billing and customer services
Kenya Power handles electricity billing, customer relations, service enquiries and emergency electricity assistance. These activities make the company the principal customer-facing institution in Kenya's electricity sector, while also exposing it to public scrutiny over billing accuracy, prices and service reliability.
Telecommunications infrastructure
Optical-fibre connectivity
Kenya Power operates an optical-fibre cable network routed mainly along high-voltage electricity lines. The network supports electricity-grid management and provides fibre connectivity capacity to telecommunications companies, extending the utility's infrastructure role beyond electricity distribution.
Professional training · 2015
Institute of Energy Studies and Research
The former Kenya Power Training School was elevated in 2015 to the Institute of Energy Studies and Research. The institute provides training solutions for the power sector in areas including generation, transmission, distribution and interconnection, with a stated target population that includes countries along the Northern Corridor.
Controversies
2021
Billing complaints and financial losses
Kenya Power faced public controversy over allegedly high or disputed electricity bills and criticism concerning losses. Reported commercial debt reached KSh 65.5 billion in April 2021, adding to concerns about the utility's financial condition.
Brand decisions
2024
Discuss a formal Uganda power-purchase agreementOtherBackground
Kenya and Uganda were considering a formal arrangement to replace an energy-exchange mechanism between their electricity distribution companies.
Action taken
The countries began negotiating a proposed agreement under which Kenya would purchase 100 MW from Uganda.
Aftermath
The discussions were reported as ongoing in the available reference material, so a final agreement cannot be confirmed here.
2022
Enter a long-term Ethiopian power-purchase agreementOtherBackground
Kenya sought additional regional electricity supply through the Sodo–Moyale–Suswa high-voltage interconnection.
Action taken
Kenya Power agreed to purchase electricity from Ethiopian Electric Power for 25 years, beginning with 200 MW for three years and rising to 400 MW for the remaining 22 years.
Aftermath
Kenya Power began importing 200 MW from Ethiopia, deepening cross-border electricity trade between the two countries.
2011
Adopt the Kenya Power public brandStrategyBackground
The listed utility sought a shorter public-facing identity while retaining its formal corporate name.
Action taken
The company rebranded publicly as Kenya Power in June 2011.
Aftermath
Kenya Power became the common customer-facing name, while KPLC remained a widely used abbreviation and the legal company name continued to reference Kenya Power and Lighting.
2008
Transfer transmission infrastructure to KETRACOStrategyBackground
Kenya reorganized electricity transmission responsibilities by creating a separate transmission company.
Action taken
The transmission-infrastructure function was carved out of Kenya Power and transferred to Kenya Electricity Transmission Company.
Aftermath
Kenya Power's principal operating focus became distribution, retail electricity supply, customer connections, metering and related services.
1997
Separate the generation businessStrategyBackground
Kenya's electricity-sector structure was reorganized to distinguish generation from the distribution and retail activities retained by Kenya Power and Lighting.
Action taken
Kenya Power Company was de-merged from Kenya Power and Lighting and subsequently rebranded as Kenya Electricity Generating Company, or KenGen.
Aftermath
The separation established KenGen as the generation-focused company while Kenya Power continued as the principal distribution and retail utility.
Sources1 sources
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