"Not been sent": Kenyans react as KPLC issues update on token payment services

This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.

- Kenya Power suffered a nationwide disruption on Thursday, 30 July 2026, that blocked customers from purchasing prepaid electricity tokens

- The power firm confirmed its prepaid vending and bill payment platforms went down following a system interruption affecting all channels

- After restoring the platforms, Kenya Power warned that a high volume of transactions was still causing delays in token delivery

Kenya Power has restored its prepaid token payment platforms following a nationwide system outage that left thousands of customers unable to purchase electricity tokens or settle bills on Thursday, 30 July 2026.

The company issued a customer alert at 3:35 pm, confirming that prepaid payment platforms were back online but cautioning that a surge in transaction volumes was slowing the delivery of tokens to customers.

"The high number of transactions is causing delays in the delivery of tokens to customers. We are working to clear the backlog as soon as possible to ensure real-time delivery," Kenya Power said in the statement.

Kenya Power System Outage

The disruption began earlier on Thursday morning, when customers attempting to top up their prepaid meters through M-Pesa and other mobile money channels received error messages indicating their transactions could not go through.

In an earlier statement, the company acknowledged that its prepaid vending and bill payment platforms were completely unavailable due to a system interruption. Kenya Power said technicians were working around the clock to restore services and pledged to issue a formal notice once systems were back up, without disclosing the root cause of the failure.

The outage affected token purchases and bill payments across all channels, leaving many households without electricity even after power had been restored in their areas.

Kenyans React to Token Delays

Customers voiced their frustration on social media, with many reporting they had paid but still not received their tokens hours later.

@Dylar004 wrote:

"Transaction failed, M-PESA cannot complete payment of Ksh1000.00 to KPLC PREPAID. Please try again shortly."

@000_georgy said:

"Bought this token but has not been sent 😢 UGUF71JBE0 Confirmed Ksh.61.00 sent to KPLC PREPAID for account 54600099870 on 30/7/26 at 2:03PM"

@KharinaMiss said:

"So I have managed to get my tokens but I can't load them because it's being rejected 😩 Endless drama with you guys."

@itssoita asked:

"Restoration wapi? Io pesa mmechukua tokens ziko wapi?"

@Jonkaz4 said:

"I am yet to receive my token having already paid since afternoon."

@sule_rama wrote:

"Bought token an hour ago but the message hasn't been sent yet."

Kenya Power apologised for the inconvenience and said it was prioritising the clearance of the backlog to restore real-time token delivery for all affected customers.

Source: TUKO.co.ke

Reporting originally appeared via TUKO. Read the full source for additional context.