By Mwanahabari Reporter
Kenyans will no longer have to pay exorbitant electricity bills starting this December, 2021.
The announcement was made by President Uhuru Kenyatta while addressing Kenyans during the 57th Jamhuri Day celebrations at the Uhuru Gardens – in Nairobi on Sunday, December 12.
The president said that the committee formed to re-look the power agreement power deals – and come up with a strategy to reduce cost of power in Kenya had done a great job.
“I want to tell Kenyans that the cost of electricity will reduce by 30 per cent and which will be implemented in two phases of 15 per cent each,” said Uhuru.
30 percent reduction
Uhuru noted that the first phase of 15 will be implemented in December – while the other 15 per cent will be implemented in the first quarter of 2022.
This will be the culmination of a journey that started in March 2021 – when President Uhuru Kenyatta appointed a task force to review power purchase agreements (PPAs) signed between Kenya Power and electricity generators.
The team under the chairmanship of John Ngumi constituted 15 other members drawn from the private and public sectors among them retired judge Aaron Ringera.
The review came after it emerged that Kenya Power had signed contracts committing it to take more electricity than it can sell, thus paying onerous capacity charges to energy producers even when their plants are idle.
Kenyans are happy
It will be remembered that in September 2021 – President Uhuru directed the Task Force to reduce cost of electricity by 33 per cent.
The 30 per cent that Task Force has come up with is therefore not far off the target set by the President.
This will see Kenyans who pay an average of Sh500 per month now pay Sh330.
This is a welcome relief give power bills hit a 38-month high on the increase in the fuel surcharge levied on power tariffs in September 2021.