The prices of electricity are likely to go up this December after the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) reviewed the water levy prices upwards.
In an official notice dated Friday, December 13, the government revealed that there will be an additional charge of Ksh1.35 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) on all electricity bills following an increase in the levy charged by the Water Resource Management Authority (WRMA).
“Pursuant to Clause 5 of Part III of the Schedule of Tariffs 2023, notice is given that all prices for electrical energy specified in Part II-(A) of the said Schedule will be liable to a Water Resource Management Authority (WRMA) levy of plus 1.35 cents per kWh for all meter readings taken in December 2024,” the notice read in part.
According to the notice by Director General Daniel Kiptoo Bargoria, the WRMA levy is calculated and based on the energy purchased from hydropower plants with a capacity of 1 megawatt (MW) or more.
Kenya Power engineers repair a collapsed pylon.
Photo
Kenya Power
The approved rate for this levy is Ksh5.00 cents per kWh. This means that Kenyans will witness an increase in their electricity bills due to the new levy calculated based on the amount of hydropower-generated electricity used.
Currently, the price of electricity is Ksh28.57 per kWh for domestic consumers using more than 100 kWh per month.
With the increase due to the levy, Kenyans will now have to pay Ksh29.92 per kWh starting in December 2024.
According to the notice, the various hydropower plants in the country produced a total of 267,313,330 kWh of electricity in November 2024.
Gitaru led in the production with 53,577,610 kWh, followed by Kamburu with 8,318,350 kWh and Kiambere with 60,275,300.
Other plants are Kindaruma, Masinga, Tana, Wanjii, Sagana, Turkwel, Gogo, Sondu Miriu, and Songoro.
This increase comes days after the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Energy proposed an amendment to the Energy Act, 2019 in a bid to lower energy costs.
Following a motion tabled by Laikipia Woman Representative Jane Kagiri, the committee recommended allowing consumers, labour unions, sector experts, industry players, and other energy stakeholders to nominate representatives to the board of the energy regulator.
The idea for including these stakeholder groups in EPRA’s board is to ensure that their voices are heard in the decision-making process at the energy regulator, including the decision of electricity prices.
EPRA Director General Daniel Kiptoo speaking in February 2024
EPRA
