Kenya’s power utility, Kenya Power, has begun rolling out a new meter reading technology designed to enhance the efficiency, accuracy, and speed of meter data collection across its operational areas.
The new initiative, known as Optical Character Recognition (OCR), eliminates the need for manually typing meter numbers and readings. Instead, it allows for the scanning of meter displays to enable high-accuracy processing.
“Technology is a major driver of our business, and in terms of billing—specifically meter reading—we have been looking at how to make it better and more accurate. With the OCR system, the meter reader will just be required to scan the meter, and the system will pick the meter readings automatically. This will save time and eliminate human error that is likely to occur if the meter reader manually types the readings,” said Richard Wida, Kenya Power’s Commercial Cycle Manager, in a statement issued on Monday, November 24, 2025.
The nationwide rollout follows a successful six-month pilot conducted in Nairobi starting in March 2025.
According to the company, a total of 1.8 million postpaid meters are targeted for reading using the OCR technology. These are the postpaid meters whose readings must be taken manually and submitted monthly for billing.
Beyond improving meter reading efficiency, the OCR system is also intended to reduce billing anomalies that arise from inaccurate meter readings.
“The OCR technology is a major milestone in Kenya Power’s digital transformation journey, through which the Company aims to strengthen service delivery and enhance customer experience. It will complement other technologies that the Company has deployed to improve service delivery and strengthen operations,” said Mr. Wida.
Kenya Power is already leveraging several digital platforms to enhance service delivery, including the self-service channels—MyPower App and USSD Code *977#—which allow customers to access services on their mobile phones. Through the self-reading option, postpaid customers can read their meters and submit readings monthly for accurate billing.
“In the future, we want to enable the use of OCR in self-reading so that our customers can enjoy the convenience of reading their meters with minimal chance of error,” Mr. Wida added.
Additionally, the Company has deployed smart metering systems for large power users, SMEs, and selected domestic customers. Smart meters support two-way communication, enabling remote meter reading as well as disconnections and reconnections.
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