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Electricity prices are expected to rise this December after the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) increased the water levy rates.
In an official notice dated Friday, December 13, the government announced that all electricity bills will incur an additional charge of Ksh1.35 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) due to an increase in the levy imposed by the Water Resource Management Authority (WRMA).
The notice, signed by Director General Daniel Kiptoo Bargoria, cited Clause 5 of Part III of the Tariffs Schedule 2023, stating that the WRMA levy of Ksh1.35 per kWh will apply to all meter readings taken in December 2024.
This levy is based on energy purchased from hydropower plants with a capacity of 1 megawatt (MW) or more. The approved levy rate is Ksh5.00 per kWh, which means that electricity bills will rise as a result of the additional levy calculated based on the amount of hydropower-generated electricity consumed.
Currently, domestic consumers using over 100 kWh per month are charged Ksh28.57 per kWh. With the new levy, this will increase to Ksh29.92 per kWh starting in December 2024.
The notice also revealed that Kenya’s hydropower plants produced a total of 267,313,330 kWh of electricity in November 2024, with Gitaru leading at 53,577,610 kWh, followed by Kiambere at 60,275,300 kWh and Kamburu at 8,318,350 kWh. Other plants include Kindaruma, Masinga, Tana, Wanjii, Sagana, Turkwel, Gogo, Sondu Miriu, and Songoro.
This price increase comes shortly after the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Energy suggested an amendment to the Energy Act, 2019, aimed at reducing energy costs. The committee recommended allowing stakeholders such as consumers, labor unions, sector experts, and industry players to nominate representatives to the board of the energy regulator (EPRA) to ensure their views are considered in decisions regarding electricity prices.
