Kenya Power warns customers after crypto posts appear on its hacked customer care X account

Kenya Power said on 3 October that its customer care account on X, @KenyaPower_Care, had been accessed without authorisation, and told customers to ignore everything posted on it while the company works to recover the account.

The Standard, reporting the statement that day, quoted the utility as saying: "Customers and members of the public are advised not to engage with any content posted on the account." The Star, also on 3 October, quoted the statement as saying: "Please DO NOT respond to any messages sent or take instructions issued through the account until further notice." The company said it would issue an update once recovery is complete.

The Standard reported that the account has more than 1.6 million followers and is normally used to report power outages and ask for help. It said the unauthorised posts promoted cryptocurrency, including a "$HYPE Season 2" allocation checker, and were unrelated to Kenya Power's services.

Kenyans.co.ke reported on 1 October that the account had been hacked. According to that report, a customer care agent confirmed the hack that day and said: "For now, use our Facebook account and other social media channels. We are working on resolving it shortly." The same report said Kenya Power appeared to have regained control of the account, as the cryptocurrency posts had been deleted.

Kenya Power listed these official channels for customers in the meantime, as reported by The Star:

• the main X account, @KenyaPower
• Facebook, under the name Kenya Power Care
• Instagram, @kenyapower
• TikTok, @kenyapower
• the USSD code *977#
• the myPower app

Kenyans.co.ke reported that Kenya Power had also said it would not ask customers for sensitive information such as PINs, bank details or mobile money details when handling complaints. The report quoted a company advisory urging customers to "verify that you are using our official communication channels to ensure secure and effective service."

Kenya Power says on its website that it serves more than 9.6 million customers.