Kenya Power announces new low electricity prices on the backdrop on strong shilling

This is exciting news for Kenyans who will enjoy up to a 13.7% drop in their bills.

Kenya Power explained that there’s a 37% cumulative reduction in the fuel cost charge and the foreign exchange fluctuation adjustment.

“We are happy to note that the reduction has given reprieve to our customers and we are optimistic that the prevailing macro-economic environment and the improved hydrology, which enables us to dispatch less thermal power, will sustain the benefit to our customers,” said Kenya Power’s Managing Director & CEO, Dr. (Eng.) Joseph Siror.

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For the everyday mwananchi keeping an eye on their wallet, the numbers are sure to bring some relief.

If you're in the Domestic Customer 1 bracket (that's if you use less than 30 units per month), expect to see a price drop from Sh729 in March to Sh629 in April 2024. That's a neat 13.7% saving!

Those consuming a bit more, falling under the Domestic Customer 2 category (31-100 units monthly), will see their charges reduced to Sh1,574 in April from Sh1,773 the previous month, equating to a 11.2% reduction.

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And for the bigger households or small businesses classified under the Domestic Customer 3 tier (using more than 100 units per month), there’s a 9.7% cut in costs.

The new charge is set at Sh3,728 compared to Sh4,127 in March 2024.

Kenya Power’s top boss, Dr. (Eng.) Joseph Siror, shared his optimism, linking the price drop to the favorable economic climate and improved operations in dispatching electricity.

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Latest statistics in electricity consumption in Kenya

According to the Bi-Annual Energy & Petroleum Statistics Report for Financial Year 2023/2024 by the Energy Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), Kenya's renewable energy sources constituted 84.93% of the total energy generated.

Geothermal held its position as the primary source, contributing 44.6% to the overall energy generated.

Hydro followed with 22.5%, while wind and solar accounted for 14.3% and 3.5%, respectively. Electricity imports contributed 6.2% (419.13 GWh) to the total energy mix.

Between July and December 2023, a total of 253,480 new customers were connected, contributing to a cumulative grid-connected customer base of 9,456,158.

Large commercial and industrial customers accounted for 51.99% % of total consumption of electricity.

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These include large and medium industries and factories, high rise buildings, warehouses and public infrastructure installations such as airports, ports and railway stations.

These are energy intensive undertakings which makes this category the largest consumer category.

Domestic consumers followed consuming 1,599.33 GWh. This accounted for 30.72% of total energy consumption edging out small commercial enterprises which utilized 843.04 GWh, accounting for 16.19% of the overall electrical consumption