PCK AND KPLC ENTER DEAL TO FACILITATE POWER BILLS PAYMENT
Electricity users all over Kenya can now electronically pay their bills in the more than 200 postal offices located in all major towns in the country, thanks to a new partnership agreement signed today by the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) and the Postal Corporation of Kenya (PCK). The agreement, geared towards achieving high levels of customer satisfaction and service, provides KPLC customers with a convenient platform to pay electricity bills, accounts deposits, connection charges and reconnection fees to their accounts through the wide PCK network of outlets at no transactional charge.
Under the deal, PCK is set to increase the coverage by an additional 112 post offices capable of processing electricity bills payment electronically to facilitate decongestion of banking halls and to reduce queues at KPLC’s banking halls. The arrangement, which will significantly increase KPLC’s Easypay outlets, has been enabled by the recent automation of most PCK offices all over the country leading to an integrated communication system and improved service delivery. Previously, KPLC had engaged an over-the-counter service with PCK, which involved customers paying their electricity bills at selected post offices around the country supported by a manual system. The arrangement entailed collection of electricity payments at PCK offices and remission of the cash to the nearest designated KPLC receipting centres.
Unlike other payment outlets such as those provided by mobile phone companies and banks, the new service will be offered at no charge to the customer .The new arrangement will rein in the time-consuming queues in KPLC banking halls. Furthermore, the company is seeking ways to cater for its increasing customer base especially with the ongoing rural electrification projects in the country. It is intended that the new system under Easypay will provide avenues for Kenyans in the diaspora to pay their connection charges and also their bills in future by expanding the collection points available with other agents outside the country.
Customers who will be paying their bills in post offices that are not connected to the electronic system, will have their payments collected manually and the payments will reflect in their KPLC accounts the next working day unlike in automated PCK outlets whose transactions will reflect in KPLC’s system the same day. Electricity users have the options of using E-bill, the SMS or the email service to check their balances and ascertain that such payments have been effected. The Easypay service is a collection of options for paying electricity bills that aims at making it possible to pay anywhere anytime. Currently, electricity bills can be paid through the mobile phones under the Cooperative Bank of Mbanking service. Bills can also be paid through the Standard Chartered ATMs, selected Cooperative Bank branches and selected Uchumi Supermarket branches. KPLC is exploring ways to enable customers pay bills through the Mpesa and Sokotele services of the mobile phone providers.
ENDS