Speaking during an interview on NTV on Tuesday, September 29, ECSK Executive Director Engineer Isaac Ndereva said the new changes to the categorisation of domestic consumers were made without public participation.
Ndereva has therefore threatened to sue EPRA over the new categorisation that it argues will effectively increase electricity prices for some consumers.
“They have done it silently without consulting the public because they understood that we are going to get concerned, and we are going to inform the public. So right now, what they have done, they thought nobody would know, but we are telling the public that this is illegal,” Ndereva state
“We are even going to challenge the same in court, that they cannot do that amendment without consulting the public,” he added.
In a gazette notice on September 18, EPRA announced that domestic consumers shall be categorised into three tariff categories: Domestic Consumer 1 – Lifeline (DC1), Domestic Consumer 2 – Ordinary (DC2) and Domestic Consumer 3 – Ordinary (DC3).
DC1 includes those consuming between 0 and 30 kilowatt-hours (kWh), DC2 includes those consuming 30 to 100 kWh, and those using between 100 and 15,000 kWh are categorised in band DC3.
“A consumer shall automatically be assigned to the tariff category corresponding to the applicable three-month moving average consumption,” EPRA stated in the notice.
It is this categorisation that Ndereva argues will increase electricity prices for some domestic consumers.
According to the consumer group, EPRA removed the previous 30-60 kWh and 60-100 kWh bands and replaced them with a single 30-100 kWh category.
“Now that is a big change, and they need to understand that they should have consulted the public,” Ndereva said.
The dispute comes months after the government announced that Kenya Power had withdrawn its application for a review of retail electricity tariffs for the 2026/27 to 2028/29 tariff control period.
In a statement shared by Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi, the withdrawal followed consultations within government and engagement with key sector stakeholders, including EPRA and Kenya Power.
“The decision reflects the need to address a sustainable energy sector while protecting households, businesses, and industries from possible cost escalation,” Wandayi said.
The June 3, 2026 announcement came as a reprieve to Kenyan households, businesses, and industries, who have consistently raised concerns over the high electricity tariffs.
At the same time, EPRA have been under fire over recent rises in electricity prices, with the authority recently raising electricity prices by Ksh4.16 in the September cycle.
