Kenya Power Pre-paid Tokens Explained [Part 1]

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kplc prepaid meters

At the beginning of last month, I ran out of electricity tokens while having guests over. Apart from the darkness, I had another issue i.e. I only had Kshs 200 on M-Pesa with which to buy tokens.

That Kshs 200 bought me 3.7 units. Only. So you can imagine how quickly I found an excuse to kick my guests out before my reputation went to the dogs.

This had me curious as to why an amount of money (Kshs 200) that had served me so well previously had gotten me such a small number of units. What I came to find out is that there is a fixed charge of Kshs 150 that is subtracted from your first transaction of the month. When I inevitably bought another Kshs 200 worth of tokens, I received 28.3 units.

Another trick I learnt is that there are different rates per unit depending on that month’s consumption. For the first 50 units in a month, the rate is Kshs 2.50 per unit. After 50 units and up until 1500 units, the charge is Kshs 12.75 per unit. Thereafter the cost is Kshs 20.57 per unit (though I think that you must be welding in your home to accomplish use of that many units).

Take the month I had illustrated above as an example. I had currently used 28.3+3.7= 32.0 units. If I was to buy another Kshs 200 worth of tokens and received another 28.3 units, they would be billed as follows:

The first 50-32= 18 units at Kshs 2.5 per unit

The remaining 28.3-18= 10.3 units at Kshs 12.75 per unit.

There are other variables that affect how many units you receive for a certain amount of money. The one discussed above, however, is the only one you can have direct control over.

The other variable charges will be included in an upcoming follow-up article.

17 COMMENTS

  1. I faced a similar problem repeatedly and as a result, I started digging around for info around this token thing. I have since automated the calculations and am able to save some money each month.

  2. Good start….I look forward to the next part.No matter how many times I read up on KPLC token charges,I always feel cheated by the system.I think it’s due to the complexity of the calculations which can befuddle even the most learned amongst us.They need to simplify it.

  3. I know exactly what you went through since I’ve experienced the same with those prepaid tokens. My troubles ended once I discovered the kplc telegram bot and this site https://tokenstimator.appspot.com that estimates the token fees with a breakdown on costs. Now I just buy 50 units on the dot each month and add only a few if they run out to get to the next month.

  4. It should be an easy thing to create a calculator for the financial / energy consumption cost per device per hour and have an easy to read total of each device’s cost per hour – then a monthly calculator to estimate the average cost per device and in total. If you have Microsoft Excel, or any of the number of other free spreadsheet applications, or if you have the ability to program and create an Android or iOS app, that would be very nice!

  5. And I am curious, how much availability do you have for LED lighting? Is it readily available, and what is the cost there?

        • Yes, that’s my question, too!

          $300 US Dollars is insane…

          300KES is right around what it would cost here.

          E27 bulb socket standard is what we use here for 110v AC, but does Kenya use 240v?

          You can also find good deals on http://www.wish.com and http://www.1000bulbs.com. I’m getting ready to order 2 6pack 60 watt equivalent bulb sets (12 total) for $9 per set (about 900KES) or $18 total plus shipping.

          The 60 watt replacement bulbs consume 9 watts. Place 2 in a room and they provide so much light!

  6. […] a solution that enables households to access pre-paid power tokens on credit in collaboration with Kenya Power. At its inception, Okoa Jahazi users could access KES 50 of airtime, but the credit amount has gone […]

  7. Using this tekenstimotor app ,does it carry with the month date or like which date is it OK to use it.coz my tokens flow like water

  8. useless billing system, whenever we launch a new geothermal plant, the President and the CEO’s tell us how cheaper the power is getting but then the final price to the consumer is puzzling and we pay for fuel like crazy. I go compare with the manual bills of old to see whether the prepaid is actually cheaper

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