Kenyans To Pay More For Water As Gov’t Increases Regulatory Charges

The government has increased regulatory charges on water companies ten times over increasing operation and maintenance costs.

This will see the charges on water bills shoot for the consumers, from 50 cents per cubic metre to Ksh5 for domestic use and livestock farming.

“A person in possession of a valid water use permit or who is required to have a valid permit for water use shall pay in addition to the water use charge… a levy amounting to five percent of the monthly water use charge as a water conservation levy,” said Water, Sanitation and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki.

Water companies will then charge five percent more as a conservation levy.

The Water Resource Authority’s (WRA) will review the charges annually, depending on the inflation rate.

“The Authority (WRA) shall adjust the water use charges annually to give effect to indexation by reference to the officially published annual inflation index,” added the CS.

Read: Water Bottlers Hit Back At The Gov’t Over Inflation Tax

The World Bank requires that water service providers should cover 70 percent of the WRA’s budget from the current 30 percent, which was a precondition for a Ksh80 billion loan to Kenya to help fight Covid-19.

Water providers will be required to install automated meters or face a penalty of 10 percent of water used.

WRA will charge Ksh2 per cubic metre for irrigation (from 50 cents) and Ksh6 for use over 300 cubic metres a day for commercial use from 75 cents.

Late payment of water use charges will attract an interest charge of two percent per month.

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