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Electricity consumers in Kenya will pay 15 per cent less on their power bills at the end of this month, Kenya Power (KP) said yesterday.

A statement from the utility power distributor said a similar reduction will be implemented at the end of January 2022, as the company moves to implement a presidential directive to lower the cost of power by 30 per cent.

“In fulfilment of this pledge, Kenya Power wishes to inform its customers that the first 15 per cent reduction in the cost of power will be implemented on power consumption in the month of December, 2021. This will be reflected in power bills covering that period, which, as is normal practice, will be sent to consumers in the following month, in this case January 2022,” a statement from the company noted.

In his 57th Jamhuri day celebration speech, President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered Kenya Power (KP) to reduce its tariffs by 33 per cent to cushion manufacturers and individual consumers who have been calling for a reduction in the cost of electricity, which is the highest in the East African region.

“The consequence of the proposed interventions is that a consumer who previously spent Sh500 per month on electricity shall by December 3, pay Sh330 per month,” said Uhuru in affirmation of a decades-long problem.

Yesterday, KP said the reductions will be achieved through initial actions focusing on system and commercial losses being reflected in the December bills.

Business activity

Kenya Power made the announcement, even as KenGen announced that demand for the commodity continued to grow at an average rate of 4.5 per cent year-on-year, driven by high business activity as the country recovers from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking during the 69th Annual General held virtually, KenGen’s Board Chairman, Samson Mwathethe said the country’s peak demand of electricity had grown to a historic high of 2,036MW in November this year adding, that more than 92 per cent of the electricity consumption was from renewables.

Mwathathe said an additional 83 MW will be added to the national grid in the first quarter of 2022 once the Olkaria I, Unit 6 geothermal power plant is commissioned.