Nairobi, Feb. 1 -- Middle-class households have been forced to raise their average monthly electricity consumption budgets by more than Sh3,000 after the government retired a subsidy amid a sharp slide in the value of the shilling.

The average cost of 200 kilowatt-hours (units) of electricity has climbed by Sh3,073.88 since the subsidy was retired in December 2022, ranking it among the most painful cost headaches in the past two years.

Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) data shows consumers on average paid Sh7,447 for 200 kWh in January, a surge of 41.08 percent over Sh5,278.44 in January 2023 and 70.29 percent over Sh4,373.12 when the cushion was in force.

The pinch is even sharper on low-income homes using a maximum of 50 uni...