Why September power bills rose as KNBS recorded cheaper electricity
Kenyan households face a striking electricity-price contradiction in September: the average electricity prices tracked by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) fell, yet the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) introduced new monthly charges that increased the cost attached to electricity meter readings taken during the month. The contradiction comes as Kenya’s annual…
In September 2026, Kenyan households experienced a rise in their power bills despite the average electricity prices recorded by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) falling. This discrepancy arises from additional monthly charges introduced by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) on electricity meter readings taken during the month.
While the average price for 50 kWh of electricity fell by 2.4% and for 200 kWh by 2.2%, EPRA imposed a Fuel Energy Cost Charge of Ksh3 per kWh, a Foreign Exchange Rate Fluctuation Adjustment of Ksh1.1443 per kWh, and a Water Resource Management Authority levy of Ksh0.0148 per kWh. These charges, combined, amount to approximately Ksh4.16 per kWh, which is added on top of the base electricity tariff.
Consequently, the actual September power bill for a household cannot be inferred solely from the average electricity price published in the KNBS inflation report.
Brief written by urgent.news from People Daily Kenya's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
