EPRA Adds Charges For May Power Tariffs

EPRA Adds Charges For May Power Tariffs

The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) has announced three new charges for your May 2026 power bill.

This statement was made by the energy regulating agency in the form of a notice, which included a Foreign Exchange Fluctuation Adjustment of 110.33 cents per kWh.

This is around Ksh1, plus an additional 10 cents for every unit used.

“PURSUANT to Clause 1 of Part III of the Schedule of Tariffs, 2023, notice is given that all Prices for Electrical Energy specified in Part II of the said Schedule will be liable to a Fuel Energy Cost Charge of Plus 306 Kenya cents per kWh for all meter readings to be taken in May, 2026,” stated EPRA.

Another cost to consider is the Fuel Energy Cost Charge, which adds Ksh3.06 per kWh. This means that more than Ksh3 per unit will be charged.

Third, the Water Resource Management Authority levies an additional Ksh1.35 per kWh.

It applies only to power from large hydro plants in counties such as Machakos, Embu, Kitui, Murang’a, Kiambu forming the Seven Forks scheme along the Tana River.

The forex charge, according to EPRA, is derived from total exchange losses incurred by power producers, which hit Ksh1.17 billion in April this year.

That loss came from KenGen, independent power producers (IPPs), and the Epic diesel plant, all of which buy equipment or fuel using foreign currency.

EPRA incorporates foreign currency on electricity bills through the Foreign Exchange (Forex) Fluctuation Adjustment.

Forex is a variable “pass-through” charge calculated monthly to recover currency exchange losses incurred by power generators and suppliers when servicing dollar-denominated loans and Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs).

The forex adjustment is calculated based on the total units generated and purchased in April. That figure stood at 1.275 billion kilowatt hours.

Now, the fuel charge is tied to diesel and thermal plants. For example, diesel in Habaswein costs Ksh306.73 per kilogram in April.

This was a massive jump of Ksh111.78 from March, which led to many areas, particularly in the northern part of the country, such as Turkana, Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, and Lamu, seeing similar spikes.

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The water levy funds the Water Resource Management Authority (WRMA), which is set at Ksh0.5 per kilowatt-hour from large hydro stations like Gitaru and Masinga.

EPRA collected hydro power units totalling 287.2 million kWh in April. That means the levy only applies to that portion, not your entire bill.

In short, a typical household will pay for electricity, fuel, and water charges in addition to the standard tariff. That means May bills will be marginally higher.

The rising electricity tariffs come amid the just-released fuel prices, which reached historic highs, with petrol retailing at Ksh16.65 and diesel at Ksh46.29 per litre, while kerosene remained unchanged.

Consequently, Super Petrol and Diesel will retail at maximum prices of Ksh214.25 and Ksh242.92 respectively, effective May 15 for 30 days.

EPRA Adds Charges For May Power Tariffs

Tags: EPRA