Kenyans would need to spend more money on electricity, following another price rise by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA).
In June, the power regulator raised rates by 3.7%, blaming increasing fuel prices and a depreciating shilling.
On Tuesday, June 13, the dollar exchanged at 139.60 against the shilling.
Consumers in the general public were said to pay KSh 28 per unit, up from KSh 27 in May.
The EPRA increased the foreign exchange fluctuation rate by 226% to KSh 2.06 from 84 cents per unit as a result of the weakening shilling. In the meantime, the fuel charge increased by 2.5%, from KSh 4.38 to KSh 4.48 per unit.
The EPRA updated the electricity rates in April, and they became effective on April 1st, 2023. Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) submitted a request for a tariff increase, claiming a hike in operating expenses.
For the fiscal year 2022/2023, Kenya Power would generate KSh 177 billion in revenue thanks to the higher prices. During its evaluation, EPRA raised the price of the actual power that consumers utilize. For lifeline customers, the price per unit was KSh 7.7 minus levies, or between KSh 18 and KSh 24 plus levies.
But the price of the unit has gone up due to the higher tariffs. This indicates that while the units have not changed, the token quantity has. For instance, the token units for KSh 1,000 have fallen from 50 to 30 units.
In other news, if the Energy Act 2019 is put into effect, KPLC may face intense competition from independent power producers (IPPs).