Kenya Power Unexpectedly Bills Customers Over Stolen Tokens
Kenya Power Unexpectedly Bills Customers Over Stolen Tokens. Kenya Power has taken a stern action after one of its staff allegedly accessed the own system generating genuine tokens which were sold through third-party vendors at discounted prices.
Following the saga, the company has embarked on a crackdown of customers who took part in the scheme which has caused losses for the company.
Several customers have launched complaints about having zero balances on their prepaid metres despite having bought units. Reports have indicated that illegal tokens were sold to unsuspecting customers and the company is taking steps to recover the money lost through the scheme.
“Some employees are thought to have stolen the tokens, which were properly generated, and sold them but the money never got to the company,” said a customer care assistant.
“The tokens were sold at deep discounts to lure customers hunting for a bargain. The customers should have sensed something was amiss,” a customer care executive noted.
A source who spoke to the Standard revealed that some consumers in the scheme bought tokens worth Sh 300,000.
Customers who bought the ‘illegal tokens’ either knowingly or unknowingly will now be forced to pay. A number of Kenya power clients have reported that their accounts had negative balances which means that they have to settle the bills accrued from the illegal scheme before they could buy additional units.
“There is an ongoing recovery of payments targeting affected customer accounts,” disclosed Kenya Power Managing DirectorJared Otieno.
“The recovery process began late last month and is an ongoing exercise. The company has ensured that all affected customers are notified on the said payments prior to recovery,” Mr Othieno said.
The amount of money lost through the scheme and the number of customers affected have not yet been established.
Featured image courtesy: KPLC (via twitter)
