Kenyans will now pay more for electricity after the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) approved a proposed 20pc tariff hike by the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC).
If KPLC goes ahead to implement this power bill hike, the burden on many households which are still suffering from the economic shocks of the Covid-19 pandemic will increase exponentially
Manufacturers and commercial operations will also raise product prices to match the higher operational costs.
The bill, however, would have to be subjected to public participation after which If approved, the hike would then take effect through a Kenya Gazette announcement.
The higher tariffs will be revealed in the coming weeks “We have examined and approved the application by Kenya Power which will now be published for stakeholder consultations,” an EPRA source who sought anonymity told Business Daily.
“The difference between what was applied for and what we have approved is not much. This could have been completed earlier but the surge in Covid-19 cases has slowed the progress recently.”
For usage of less than 100 Kilowatts per month, Kenya Power wants to raise the unit price from Sh10 to Sh12.50 while for usage of more than 100 units, the cost per unit will rise from Sh15.80 to Sh19.53.
The hike is integral for Kenya Power’s turn-around plan, with the firm currently bogged down by the cost of long-term power-purchase agreements.
The ministry of energy had earlier made its stand against the hike but is now in agreement that KPLC needs more cash to cover the cost of buying wholesale electricity from generators such as KenGen and also be able to maintain the national grid.
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