Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi has cautioned that electricity bills could spike by as much as 30 per cent should KPLC be forced into paying wayleave fees.

Speaking before the Senate Energy Committee on 5th March, he noted these charges now add up to Sh63.8 billion.

“If Kenya Power Lighting Company has to cover the wayleave costs, that money has to come from somewhere, and in the end, it will land on the consumers through higher tariffs. That’s not what we want,” he said.

The CS stated county governments owe Kenya Power Sh4.7 billion in unpaid bills, urging them to settle their dues for street lighting and power consumption.

His remarks follow Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja’s claim that Kenya Power owes the county Sh4.9 billion in wayleave fees, while Nairobi, in turn, owes the utility company Sh1.5 billion in electricity bills.

Wandayi further reminded the committee that the Energy Act of 2019 prohibits public entities from imposing levies on public energy infrastructure.

“With Kenya Power managing more than 319,000 kilometers of power lines across all 47 counties, adding wayleave fees to these lines would only push up electricity costs for consumers,” he said.

He mentioned the ministry is currently working with an investor to construct the Lessos-Lesuk, Kibos-Kakamega and Musega transmission lines.

Kenya Electricity Transmission Company is getting ready to sign a Sh45 billion contract to build two major transmission lines, which will add at least 300 megawatts of power to the national grid.

This project is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the country’s electricity infrastructure and improve power supply.

The ministry has set ambitious targets, aiming to connect 480,000 new customers and 320 public institutions. The plan includes constructing 248 kilometers of transmission lines and six new substations.

Other initiatives involve setting up 350 kilometers of distribution lines, additional substations and 6,500 street lighting points to improve security and boost economic activities.

For the 2025-2026 financial year, the Budget Policy Statement allocates Sh55 billion to the ministry, with Sh12 billion for recurrent expenditures and Sh43 billion for capital projects.

However, the CS pointed out that financial constraints will impact several crucial programs, including last mile connectivity, the Green Resilient Energy program, Nuclear Exploration Program and Security energy programmes.