Kenya’s telecoms market leader, Safaricom (Vodafone) has partnered with Kenya Power to enable its customers pay for electricity through Bonga Points.
Through the partnership, Kenya Power’s 7.1 million domestic customers can now redeem their Bonga Points to purchase tokens or pay for their bills at the rate of 20 cents per Bonga Point.
The partnership gives customers an alternative wallet from which to pay for electricity, thus providing relief to households facing pressure from suppressed incomes due to the economic effects of the Coronavirus pandemic.
At the same time, it provides customers with yet another cash-free avenue through which to pay for power, boosting the Company’s efforts to promote measures to curtail the spread of the Coronavirus. Presently, Kenya Power customers can pay for electricity using mobile money platforms and bank transfers, as alternative to cash payments.
“As an organization, we are acutely aware of the impact that this pandemic has had on many Kenyans. We are therefore calling on our customers to take advantage of this opportunity and pay for electricity using Bonga Points,” said Bernard Ngugi, Managing Director and CEO, Kenya Power in a press release.
Bonga is a loyalty scheme launched by Safaricom in 2007 to allow its customers accumulate points based on usage of services on its network.
Through a recent initiative dubbed ‘Bonga For Good,’ Safaricom saw over 1 billion Bonga Points redeemed towards food and household items.
“Over the years, our customers have enjoyed rewards such as airtime, data bundles and affordable devices for their loyalty to the Safaricom network. By partnering with Kenya Power, we hope to give our customers more options and freedom in how they utilize their loyalty points,” said Peter Ndegwa, CEO, Safaricom.
Customers paying for electricity using Bonga Points will be subjected to the applicable electricity tariff as stipulated by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
Techgh24 thinks telcos can do same in Ghana. For instance, the MTN tokens they give for airtime usage can be enabled as purchasing power for electricity. Other similar packages on AirtelTigo and Vodafone should also be enabled for same purpose.
