Kenyan households and businesses have received a major reprieve after the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) cancelled planned public hearings on proposed electricity tariff changes following the withdrawal of an application by Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC).
In a notice issued on Friday, June 5, EPRA announced that stakeholder consultation forums that had been planned as part of the tariff review process would no longer take place.
“The existing retail tariffs shall continue to apply unless there is a review of these tariffs following the processes prescribed under the Energy Act 2019,” the regulator indicated.
The cancellation follows a decision by Kenya Power to withdraw a tariff review application it had submitted in March seeking new electricity charges for the period between July 2026 and June 2029.
In a previous statement, Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum, Opiyo Wandayi, revealed that the request had been pulled back following discussions within government circles and with the major stakeholders in the energy sector.
The decision will be a great relief to consumers who have expressed their fears of increased electricity bills in future.
A Tariff Review Application filed by Kenya Power led to the EPRA launching the Public Participation process in order to collect stakeholder views on the matter.
Those plans have now been shelved following the withdrawal.
Wandayi said the decision was intended to protect consumers while at the same time safeguarding the long-term sustainability of the energy sector.
EPRA also assured consumers that the withdrawal of the application will not affect electricity supply, with customers set to continue paying under the current tariff structure.
The authority further thanked consumers, county governments, civil society groups and industry stakeholders who had prepared to take part in the review process.
“We remain committed to transparency, fairness, consumer protection, and stakeholder engagement in the discharge of our regulatory mandate,” EPRA stated.
The development closes the chapter, at least for now, on a review process that had sparked debate over the possibility of increased power costs for consumers across the country.