Nairobi residents should brace themselves for tougher living conditions if a proposal by the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC) to raise water prices by 40% is approved.
On July 8, NCWSC notified the Water Services Regulatory Board (Wasreb) of its intention to raise tariffs by 20.44 and 39.57 percent in order to recover costs, pay loans, and upgrade infrastructure.
“NCWSC proposes an upward tariff review to enable the utility water to operate at full cost recovery and meet conditions necessary for improving service delivery,” revealed Peter Nyagah, the director for licensing, standards and advocacy at Wasreb.
If the regulator approves the proposal, residents who use about 15,000 litres of water per month should expect to pay Sh1,685, a Sh444 increase from the current Sh1,241.
Residents or businesses that consume 55,000 litres per month, on the other hand, should expect a 28.45 percent increase in their payments, as the charges will rise from Sh4,952 to Sh6,922.
Nairobi Water has reserved the lowest water price increases for bulk water suppliers and water kiosks, raising their tariffs to Sh32 from Sh30 for those who do not have access to piped water.
The proposal to raise water bills comes at a time when Kenyans are facing difficult living conditions. Currently, the price of maize flour has surpassed Sh210, putting additional strain on Kenyan households who struggle to afford food on a daily basis.
Cooking gas prices, on the other hand, have risen, with the cost of refilling a 13-kilogramme cylinder now at Sh3,500, up from Sh2,978 at the start of the year.
Fuel costs have also risen. According to the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority, petrol costs Sh150.12 per litre, diesel costs Sh131 per litre, and kerosene costs Sh118.94 per litre as of today.
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