President William Ruto says the cost of electricity will not go up contrary to earlier media reports.
Several media outlets had reported that the cost of power would rise as of today after the government eliminated the low-cost Kenya Power electricity subsidy.
But speaking during a Sunday service at Siloam in Bamburi, Mombasa County, Ruto explained that the government had already removed the subsidies in August 2022, hence, the electricity cost would not go up.
"We have already taken care of all the subsidies that we removed in August and we are going to ensure our manufacturers, our value-addition processors and all Kenyans including those on lifeline tariffs are taken into consideration as we review the tariffs going into the future," said Ruto.
President Ruto, however, said that the government will not shy away from making tough decisions that will enable sustainable economic growth.
The president disclosed that the removal of subsidies on basic commodities saves the country over Sh 25 billion monthly.
"I have taken a bold measure to ensure the country recovers economically by removing subsidies which were initially a strategy deployed for political expediency for that time because we had an election," said Ruto.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Kenya Power had opposed further extension of the cheap electricity subsidy placed by former President Uhuru Kenyatta's government.
The former administration placed the cushion programme amid social tension and pressure following a cost-of-living crisis that continues unabated to date.
