Kenya’s electricity imports shot up by 63.7 percent in the first eight months compared to a similar period last year despite official data showing the country generates more power than it consumes.
The Energy ministry attributes the sharp growth to a 50 percent tariff cut that Uganda offered Kenya from June.
Energy Cabinet Secretary Charles Keter said the ministry opted for the cheaper imports to supply the western parts of the country whose demand has been on the rise. The region is also yet to be hooked onto the geothermal power from Olkaria.
“The Muhoroni generator which largely supplies the region is Sh35 per unit compared to Uganda’s power which was Sh22 per unit before June and is now Sh14 per unit,” Mr Keter said
“And by end of this month we’ll be buying from Uganda at Sh10 and being a hydro power, it gives us a lot of stability in the region even as demand continues to rise”.
Kenya bought 153.06 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity from Uganda from January to August and an additional 2.48 GWh from Ethiopia, according to the latest data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.
The total purchase represents a 64 percent rise compared to last year’s 94.98GWh over a similar period.
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