Kenyans now face the highest electricity bills this March

Further to paying a premium at the pump, Kenyans face the highest electricity bills at the end of this month.

This follows an upward review in tariffs by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) on Friday via a gazette notice.

The fuel cost charge (FCC) tariff which covers fuel expenses in the generation of electricity for instance rose to Ksh.3.54 per unit of power consumed from Ksh. 2.61 in February.

The higher fuel cost charge resulted from a steep rise in fuel prices so far in 2021.

Similarly, the foreign exchange fluctuation adjustment (FEFRA) has increased to 78 cents from 66 cents in February.

Cumulatively, the tariff adjustment will result in the highest cost of electricity per kilowatt hour (Ksh/kWh) since the implementation of the current schedule of tariffs in November 2018.

The cost of electricity for the average domestic user will for instance now stand at Ksh.24.60 per unit of power consumed down from Ksh.23.40 in February.

This implies a 5.1 per cent rise in the average cost of electricity to households this month.

On their part, the lowest category of users termed as domestic-lifeline customers will pay Ksh.17.59 per unit of power consumed down from Ksh.16.38 last month.

Heavy electricity users under the commercial peak category will meanwhile pay Ksh.15.15 per kWh in consumption from Ksh.13.95 a month earlier signaling a significant rise in the cost of production by local firms.

The higher electricity costs are expected to compound the pressure on the income of households following Sunday’s steep increment in fuel costs.

On Sunday, petrol prices were raised by Ksh.7.63 per litre to push the cost of the commodity to its highest level on record with a litre of petrol now costing Ksh.122.81 in Nairobi.

At the same time, both diesel and kerosene costs rose by Ksh.5.75 and Ksh.5.41 per litre respectively.