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Consumers feel the heat of electricity bills

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Average power bills in the country edged up towards their all-time highs last month, piling pressure on household budgets, according to newly released inflation data.

The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) data shows that power bills for homes that consume 200 kilowatt hours (kWh) per month, mostly middle class, rose to Sh4,122, just Sh200 shy of the all-time of Sh4,322 witnessed in April.

Low-income earners who consume 50kWh of electricity paid Sh695 last month, which is only Sh50 shy of its all-time high of Sh745 recorded in April.

KNBS data shows that local power generation rose to an all-time high of 918kWh in the month of May 2018, boosted by increased production of hydropower following heavy rains that yielded 1,367.5 kWh in the first five months of the year.

Total power generated in the first five months of the year was recorded at 4430kWh.

Geothermal power leads at 2146kWh while the expensive diesel- fired thermal power contributed 915kWh in the period between January to May.

Following the revelation by the Energy Regulatory Commission to increase unit charges for both 50 kWh and 200 kWh electricity, middle income earners will have to dig deeper into their pockets in the coming days to pay for electricity.