Electricity bills to go up by Sh3 on new pricing

Electricity tariffs are poised to rise by 3.59 cents (approximately Sh3.50 per unit), as announced by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), attributing the increase to higher production costs borne by generators.

This adjustment comes despite recent decreases in fuel prices and a favorable exchange rate for the Kenyan shilling. EPRA’s Director General, Daniel Kiptoo, communicated the tariff increase through a gazette notice, citing escalated pricing at several diesel plants.

Earlier reductions in electricity tariffs, linked to fluctuations in fuel costs and foreign exchange rates, were implemented in April.

Despite initiatives by the Energy Ministry to curb system losses and enhance efficiency, Kenya Power continues to grapple with significant losses, reported at 23% in December.

Energy Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir emphasized the urgency of reducing these losses to alleviate electricity expenses.

Chirchir underscored that improving energy efficiency could bolster energy security, diminish spending on energy imports in foreign currency, and mitigate emissions costs.

Kenya Power’s new Strategic Plan (2023/24 – 2027/28) aims to address system losses and upgrade infrastructure.

Chirchir highlighted Kenya’s need for $5.3 billion to modernize power transmission lines and prevent frequent power outages.

KPLC – How to update your prepaid meter tokens

Kenya Power has issued a directive requiring all users of prepaid meter tokens to update their devices before August 31st. Failure to comply by this deadline will result in the meters no longer accepting tokens.

Joseph Siror, Managing Director of Kenya Power, outlined the update procedure on Wednesday. Customers purchasing tokens will receive two codes from Kenya Power, which they must enter into their meters according to instructions received via SMS before loading the new token.

To ensure compliance, the company will also send codes directly to customers who haven’t purchased tokens recently, prompting them to update their meters.

Siror emphasized that the update process is simple and comes at no cost to customers. Users are advised to load all previously purchased tokens onto their meters before entering the reset and update codes. Importantly, existing tokens already loaded into the meter will remain unaffected by the update.

This initiative targets 7.4 million prepaid meters across Kenya and is part of a complimentary service provided by Kenya Power.