Review cost of power

If there’s one thing that has made the life of households and businesses hard, it is the high cost of electricity.

For most domestic consumers, power bills have more than doubled in the past one year. And manufacturers have electricity taking up to 40 per cent of expenses.

That’s why news that power bills will come down soon — thanks to the current rains filling up dams — could not have come at a better time. According to Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen), the turbines at the key Seven Forks cascade are spinning again, with dam water levels nearing full capacity.

It is still not known by how much power bills will fall. The fall should, however, be significant enough to give consumers relief.

Pricing of electricity is a question that is often not easily answered, which is why this matter should not be left to KenGen and KPLC alone.

The Electricity Regulatory Board must scrutinise the complex tax and levy computations to ensure power suppliers get no more than they deserve.

Also, the costly independent power producers’ contracts should be reviewed so that taxpayers do not keep financing them long after the switch to hydro-power.

Underpinning the quest for cheaper power is the argument that it will reduce the cost of business. And it should. We hope companies will follow suit and lower the prices of goods and services.