{"id":102890,"date":"2024-11-21T08:02:57","date_gmt":"2024-11-21T08:02:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2024\/11\/21\/mps-reject-energy-levy-hikes-endorse-strict-penalties-for-vandalism\/"},"modified":"2024-11-21T08:02:57","modified_gmt":"2024-11-21T08:02:57","slug":"mps-reject-energy-levy-hikes-endorse-strict-penalties-for-vandalism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/mps-reject-energy-levy-hikes-endorse-strict-penalties-for-vandalism\/","title":{"rendered":"MPs reject energy levy hikes, endorse strict penalties for vandalism"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 21<\/strong> \u2014 Lawmakers have rejected a proposed amendment to the Energy Act, 2019, which sought to increase levies on electricity and petroleum.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The amendment, included in the Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill, would have doubled the levies collected by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) from 0.5% to 1%.<\/p>\n

The National Assembly Energy Committee Chair, Vincent Musau, led the opposition to the proposal, citing concerns over its potential impact on already high energy costs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI propose deleting the amendment to Section 20(1), which sought to increase EPRA\u2019s levies on electricity and petroleum. Doubling these charges would directly burden consumers at a time when we are working to reduce energy costs,\u201d Musau stated.<\/p>\n

Legislators supported the move on the floor of the House, saying Kenyans are currently overburdened by increased taxes.<\/p>\n

\u201cKenyans are already struggling with electricity bills. Increasing EPRA\u2019s levy from 0.5% to 1% is inappropriate, and I fully support the deletion of this amendment. Our focus should be on reducing energy costs,\u201d Marakwet West MP Kangongo Bowen said.<\/p>\n

Mathare MP Anthony Oluoch highlighted the broader economic implications, warning that high electricity costs discourage investment and drive investors to neighboring countries with cheaper energy.<\/p>\n

Regulating Crude Oil Production<\/h3>\n

Similarly, Funyula MP Wilberforce Oundo lauded the move to reject the amendment, citing the harsh economic times.<\/p>\n

\u201cKenya is among the countries with the highest electricity costs. I fully support the committee\u2019s position on rejecting this amendment,\u201d Oundo said.<\/p>\n

The lawmakers, however, approved an amendment granting EPRA the authority to regulate crude oil.<\/p>\n

This development aligns with Kenya\u2019s growing petroleum exploration and production activities, particularly in Turkana County.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are preparing for the regulation of crude oil, not necessarily for domestic use but to manage transit and pipeline operations for potential customers,\u201d Musau explained.<\/p>\n

Tougher Penalties for vandalism<\/h3>\n

In addition to rejecting the levy hike, MPs passed amendments imposing stricter penalties for energy infrastructure theft. These include the forfeiture of vehicles used to transport stolen equipment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must send a strong message to those who steal energy infrastructure,\u201d said Hon. Mary Emaase. \u201cThis is a serious offense that leaves entire communities in darkness. Thieves must face severe consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n

The MPs also rejected EPRA\u2019s proposal to exempt all levies collected from the Consolidated Fund, arguing that such a move would diminish parliamentary oversight of the agency\u2019s finances.<\/p>\n

The Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill, as passed, aims to balance regulatory reforms with consumer protection, ensuring affordable energy and curbing infrastructure theft.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 21 \u2014 Lawmakers have rejected a proposed amendment to the Energy Act, 2019, which sought to increase levies on electricity and petroleum. The amendment, included in the Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill, would have doubled the levies collected by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) from 0.5% to 1%. The National […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-102890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102890","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102890"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102890\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}