If you noticed your electricity token buying less this month, you are not imagining it. The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) has gazetted three additional charges that will appear on all May 2026 electricity bills, covering every meter reading taken this month. Together, they add more than Ksh 4 per unit on top of your standard base tariff.
Here is a breakdown of each charge, what drives it, and what it means for your wallet.
The Three New EPRA Charges on Your May 2026 Power Bill
1. Fuel Energy Cost Charge (FECC) — Ksh 3.06 per kWh
This is the biggest of the three. EPRA's gazette notice states:
"All prices for Electrical Energy specified in Part II of the said Schedule will be liable to a Fuel Energy Cost Charge of Plus 306 Kenya cents per kWh for all meter readings to be taken in May 2026."
The Fuel Energy Cost Charge (FECC) is a pass-through levy that reflects the actual cost of diesel and thermal fuel used to power Kenya's national grid. When hydro or geothermal output is insufficient to meet demand, Kenya Power relies on diesel-powered thermal plants — and the price of that fuel goes straight to your bill.
Why is it so high this month?
Diesel prices spiked sharply in April. In Habaswein, for example, diesel cost Ksh 306.73 per kilogram — a jump of Ksh 111.78 from March. Off-grid counties in northern Kenya, including Turkana, Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, and Lamu, were hardest hit, as they rely almost entirely on remote diesel plants where the cost of trucking fuel adds significantly to the price per kilogram.
Consumers on the national grid in cities like Nairobi and Nakuru, which are largely connected to cheaper geothermal and hydro sources, will feel a smaller share of this charge.
2. Foreign Exchange Fluctuation Adjustment — 110.33 Cents per kWh (Ksh 1.10)
This charge adds roughly Ksh 1.10 per unit you consume.
EPRA calculates this monthly figure by totalling the forex exchange losses recorded by power producers — including KenGen, Independent Power Producers (IPPs), and the Epic diesel plant. These companies pay for equipment, fuel, and loan repayments in US dollars under Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs). When the Kenyan shilling weakens against the dollar, those costs rise, and EPRA passes the difference to consumers.
In April 2026, total foreign exchange losses across Kenya's power sector reached Ksh 1.17 billion. That total loss was then divided across 1.275 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity generated and purchased during the month — giving the per-unit charge of 110.33 cents.
The forex adjustment will fluctuate month to month depending on the shilling's performance and the sector's dollar-denominated obligations.
3. Water Resource Management Authority (WRMA) Levy — Ksh 1.35 per kWh
The third charge is the Water Resource Management Authority (WRMA) levy, set at Ksh 0.50 per kWh from large hydropower stations, which averages out to a blended Ksh 1.35 per kWh across total units billed.
Important: This levy does not apply to your entire bill. It only covers electricity generated by large hydro plants of at least one megawatt capacity. In April, EPRA recorded hydro generation of 287.2 million kWh from stations like Gitaru and Masinga — part of the Seven Forks scheme along the Tana River, spanning counties including Machakos, Embu, Kitui, Murang'a, and Kiambu.
The WRMA levy funds the authority responsible for managing and protecting Kenya's water catchment areas, which are critical to sustaining hydroelectric output.
How Much More Will You Pay in May 2026?
Here is a quick estimate based on typical household consumption:
| Monthly Usage | Extra Cost (Ksh) |
|---|
| 50 kWh (low consumption) | ~Ksh 200 |
| 150 kWh (average household) | ~Ksh 600 |
| 300 kWh (higher consumption) | ~Ksh 1,200 |
| 500 kWh (small business) | ~Ksh 2,000 |
Estimates based on the combined additional charge of approximately Ksh 4.17 per kWh (306 + 110.33 + 1.35 cents).
These Charges Come Amid Record-High Fuel Prices
The timing is especially painful. Alongside the electricity bill increases, EPRA has also announced new pump prices effective May 15, 2026, for 30 days. Super Petrol now retails at a maximum of Ksh 214.25 per litre and Diesel at Ksh 242.92 per litre in Nairobi — historic highs that are already under legal challenge over transparency and public participation concerns.
The high diesel prices at the pump directly feed into the Fuel Energy Cost Charge on your electricity bill, since the same price movements that affect motorists also affect the thermal power plants keeping Kenya's grid running.
What Are Pass-Through Charges and Why Does EPRA Use Them?
All three of these levies are what regulators call pass-through costs — meaning EPRA does not pocket the money. Instead, the charges are calculated based on actual costs incurred by power generators and distributors in the previous month, then spread across all consumers proportionally.
The base electricity tariff — the fixed price per unit approved in 2023 and running through the 2025/26 financial year — has remained unchanged. It is these monthly variable charges that are driving the increase in what Kenyans pay.
EPRA reviews and recalculates these charges every month. That means they can go down as well as up, depending on fuel prices, the performance of the shilling, and hydro generation levels.
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