Electricity Bills Set To Go Up Despite Uhuru’s Directive

By Lynnet Okumu / Published January 6, 2022 | 12:40 pm

KEY POINTS

The cost of power went up by two percent in December 2021 despite the President’s promise of a more than 30 percent reduction that would be delivered in two tranches of 15 percent each.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

The expected dry conditions in January 2022 may impact negatively on the major river catchment areas for the country's hydroelectric power generating dams.
The recommendation as contained in the Presidential Taskforce on Power Purchase Agreements cannot be achieved by just getting rid of Independent Power Producers (IPPs).

Kenyans have been warned there’s a likelihood of electricity bills shooting further in January, a month that is considered economically tough by most people around the country.

The cost of power went up by two percent in December 2021 despite the President’s promise of a more than 30 percent reduction that would be delivered in two tranches of 15 percent each. The first reduction was to come into effect last month but the country witnessed the complete opposite of this.

According to the Kenya Metrological Department, the expected dry conditions throughout January will considerably affect electricity generation thus Kenyans will have to dig deeper into their pockets to pay for the bills.

“The expected dry conditions in January 2022 may impact negatively on the major river catchment areas for the country’s hydroelectric power generating dams,” the department stated.

This warning has been given to prepare Kenyans to watch and cut their spending habits to prepare for any eventualities.

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An electricity billing analyst from the Electricity Consumer Society of Kenya said the recommendation as contained in the Presidential Taskforce on Power Purchase Agreements cannot be achieved by just getting rid of Independent Power Producers (IPPs).

IPPs are a contributor to the high cost of power, selling electricity to Kenya Power at considerably high rates especially when compared to the rates charged by Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen).

In his Jamhuri Day address on December 12, 2021, President Uhuru Kenyatta announced that the cost of power will drop by 15 percent by the end of 2021 with another 15 percent expected by the end of the first quarter of this year.

“The reduction of the cost of electricity will be implemented in two tranches of 15 percent each; with the first 15 achieved through initial actions focusing on system and commercial losses, to be reflected in the December bills, and a further 15% reduction, in the first quarter of 2022,” he stated.

This has however not been achieved. Instead, it’s ironic that there has been a continuous rise in the bills.