The utility firm Wednesday bombarded consumers with short text messages, informing them of their classification status.
Under the rules the ERC gazetted last month, users are either automatically transferred to higher tariff or lower bands.
Kenya Power has moved electricity users to new tariff bands, setting them up for a billing model that reflects the rate of consumption.
But the development has generated a lot of heat with consumers seeking to know how this will affect what they pay monthly.
Under the rules the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) gazetted last month, users are either automatically transferred to higher tariff or lower bands depending on whether their three-month consumption average exceeds 100 units a month.
The utility firm Wednesday bombarded consumers with short text messages, informing them of their classification status.
“Dear customer, as per the tariff structure, your last three- month average consumption was above 100 units. You have been moved to domestic ordinary tariff band,” reads an SMS sent to customers.
Energy Cabinet secretary Charles Keter maintained this was not an upward revision of tariffs but mere information for customers on the bands they belonged.
“It is automatic even if no SMSs were sent. You just get classified according to your consumption,” Mr Keter said.
Gazette notice
According to the gazette notice, consumers’ categorisation automatically shifts between “SC1” and “SC2” depending on whether their three-month average consumption rate exceeds or falls below the 100-unit threshold.
Users also shift between categories “Domestic Consumers-Lifeline” (DC I-L) and “DC2-0” depending on whether their three-month consumption average crosses on falls below the 100 units per kilowatt.
Moving criteria
The notice stated: “New customers under Domestic and Small Commercial categories be admitted as DC-1 and SC-1 tariff categories, respectively for the first three months before being subjected to the moving average criteria.”
The majority of those who took to social media Wednesday to seek clarification on the changes said they had been moved from the lowest class of domestic lifeline where a unit costs Sh10 to domestic ordinary where a unit costs Sh15.8.
A number of them also complained that the new bands did not reflect their true consumption level. The ERC did not respond to the Business Daily queries on the tariff roll-out.
The regulator had reclassified SMEs as ‘small commercial’ tariff band — which consumes no more than 100 units a month and buys power at Sh21.95 per kilowatt hour — after President Kenyatta’s directive that prices for the segment be cut.
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