Promoting a Productive, Safe and Inclusive Work Environment (SDG 8)

Fostering employee well-being, engagement, and productivity is a cornerstone in our corporate strategy. We aim to ensure that every staff member is optimally engaged for increased productivity and sustained business growth by nurturing a positive work environment.

To bolster both employee equity and productivity, our Board of Directors endorsed the translation of terms of 1,373 employees from short-term contracts to renewable 5-year contracts in two phases.

The terms of these new contracts are tailored to align closely with those of our permanent and pensionable staff members. We onboarded an additional 389 technicians and craftsmen to reinforce our field operations.

During the year we introduced practical and affordable training initiatives, concentrating on technical, professional, and leadership skills as a commitment to employee development.

This is to equip our staff with tools and knowledge to adjust to the changing business needs and meet the Company's goals. As a result, 62% of employees participated in these training sessions, translating to an average of 3.5 training days per employee. This effort highlights our continuous drive to support employees’ professional growth.

Through the various initiatives undertaken on employee engagement, productivity, and satisfaction levels, there was an improvement in the employee satisfaction survey which yielded a mean score of 60.3%, a marked improvement from the prior year’s 50%.

Kenya Power is keen on achieving gender equity, and indeed overall diversity and inclusion. Guided by our Gender Mainstreaming Policy, the Company is working towards enhancing our structure to further promote equitable recruitment, career development, placement, and deployment of qualified personnel.

Currently, the female to male ratio of the Company’s 10,018 employees is 3:6. The Company is establishing more gender- responsive office facilities and equipment for staff use including lactating facilities.

Other initiatives include training and sensitising all staff on gender equity; promoting enrolment of females and males in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in private and public universities; and retaining and establishing new partnerships and services of a gender experts in order to support and maintain the gender mainstreaming momentum and processes.

In the period under review, we undertook mentorship programmes at Starehe Girls Centre, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology as well as the University of Nairobi in partnership with the Women in Engineering Association.

In addition, the Company continued to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds in both Starehe Girls and Boys Centres under its Endowment Fund mainly through offering mentorship.

Electricity has inherent dangers and risks if not handled properly. As such, the Company fosters a culture of safety among employees, contractors, and members of the public to protect life and property.

We strive to uphold high standards of compliance with relevant safety and health- related legal and regulatory requirements. In 2023, we amplified our safety awareness campaigns through 187 public engagements leveraging on platforms such as local administration meetings (barazas), the Agricultural Society of Kenya (ASK) trade fairs, schools’ sensitisation forums, media campaigns, and sustained collaborations with the National Government Administration Officers (NGAO).

We undertook comprehensive competence assessments for 465 employees and contractors, particularly those involved in grid operations. We also carried out Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) training sessions encompassing fire safety and first aid procedures.