Nairobi, March 28 -- The upward revision of electricity tariffs targeting middle-class households and small commercial consumers is ill-advised and will add to the economic woes that millions of Kenyans are already facing.

The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (Epra) on Friday approved the new tariffs to protect Kenya Power from financial distress, hitting households who consume between 31 units and above with the steepest jump in prices alongside small commercial consumers.

The new tariffs will see electricity prices increase by between 15 percent and 20 percent on average from next week, setting up consumers for higher prices of manufactured goods.

While the distributor understandably needs finances to revamp its transmission...