On Monday Energy Cabinet secretary Charles Keter confirmed that President Uhuru Kenyatta will be announcing new power tariffs in the course of next week.
Keter who was speaking during the launch of an energy project in Bomet East said that the tariffs will be cheaper than kerosene whose price went high after the introduction of 8% VAT on petroleum products.
The tariffs are set to benefit low income earners through the Last Mile Connectivity project.
“The President will be announcing the new rates in the next one week. They’ll be cheaper than even kerosene that most people use,” remarked Keter.
Keter further explained that the government is committed to ensuring that the project succeeds.
The first phase of the project saw 1.5 million Kenyans connected to the power grid with the second project set to commence soon.
The second phase is set to see installation of new transformers that will extend low voltage networks and add 2.5 million Kenyans to the power grid.
“We need to have all those transformers returned and replaced immediately because we want the project to continue,” stated the Energy C
Although the reduced tariffs will be a relief for Kenyans, the project faced a blow during the implementation of the Finance Bill 2018.
The bill, which was signed into law by Uhuru, indicated that funding to the Rural Electrification Programme would be slashed by Ksh 1.6 billion and a further cut of Ksh 1 billion to the Last Mile Project.
The cut was part of the initiative by the government to raise funds to offset the financial debt facing the country.