Electricity costs increase by 67pc in the first nine months of Ruto’s administration
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The cost of electricity soared by 67pc in the first nine months of Ruto's administration according to data by the KNBS
The cost of electricity soared by 67pc in the first nine months of Ruto’s administration according to data by the KNBS.
As a result of a combination of higher fuel prices, currency devaluation, and the review of electricity tariffs, the cost of electricity has increased by 67 percent during the last nine months.
The average cost of 50 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of power has grown, going from Sh796.83 in August of last year to a mean of Sh1,326.54 at the end of May, according to data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).
Inflation in the price of energy, which was calculated at 66.5 percent last month, has had the greatest impact on consumer expenditure.
In contrast to larger consumers, consumers with lower electricity consumption have been hit hardest by growing power prices, with the price of 200 units of electricity rising by a lower 47.2 percent last month to Sh6,436.28 from Sh4,373.12 in August of the previous year.
The increase in energy costs is a blow to consumers who have already been feeling the effects of increasing fuel and food prices over the same time period.
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The decision by President William Ruto to end a multi-billion-shilling subsidy programme at the end of last year set off the first notable rise in electricity prices in the nine months as power bills went up by as much as 15 percent.
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta announced a 15 percent cut to electricity prices in January last year with the view to cushion households and manufacturers.
Effective April 1, however, the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (Epra) approved new electricity tariffs with the new pricing metrics hitting hard at middle-class households and small commercial consumers who now spend at least Sh2.7 billion more on power bills every month.
Epra increased the base consumption charge to Sh12.22 per unit from Sh10 for life-line consumers whose usage stands at no more than 30 units even as it revised the life-line threshold from 100 units previously.
Households and consumers whose monthly consumption ranges between 31 kWh and 100 kWh saw their tariffs increase by 19 percent to Sh26.10 and Sh26.22 respectively.
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