Nairobi residents and business owners should prepare for a significant hit to their monthly budgets. The Water Services Regulatory Board (WASREB) has officially greenlit a new, higher tariff structure for the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC), signaling a period of rising utility costs over the next four years.
The adjustment, which spans the 2025/2026 to 2028/2029 financial years, aims to stabilize the utility’s finances and modernize the city’s aging infrastructure. However, the move comes at a steep price for consumers, with some households facing bill increases of up to 50%.
Breaking Down the New Rates
The new billing system replaces the previous flat-rate approaches with a progressive consumption-based model. Under these changes, households using minimal amounts of water (one to six cubic meters) will now pay Sh68 per cubic meter.
As usage increases, so does the cost:
7 to 20 cubic meters: Sh85 per cubic meter
21 to 50 cubic meters: Sh91 per cubic meter
Over 300 cubic meters: Sh117 per cubic meter
Large residential setups and gated communities, classified as multi-dwelling units, will transition to a flat rate of Sh85 per cubic meter, regardless of their total volume.
The impact extends beyond just the water tap. WASREB confirmed that sewerage fees will remain tethered to water usage, calculated at 75% of the water bill. This means domestic users will shell out between Sh58 and Sh93 per cubic meter for waste services alone.
Why the Price Hike?
NCWSC defended the application for higher rates by pointing to a crumbling system and massive revenue leaks. Currently, a staggering 54% of treated water never reaches a paying customer, lost instead to physical leaks, illegal connections, and systemic inefficiencies.
The utility further noted that many Nairobians currently suffer through a mere nine hours of water supply per day. The regulator maintains that the additional revenue will fund a multi-billion-shilling rehabilitation plan to fix these pipes and expand reach to underserved neighborhoods.
“NCWSC applied to the Water Services Regulatory Board (WASREB) for a review of water services tariffs for the period 2025/2026 to 2028/2029 in line with section 72 (1) (b) of the Act. Public consultation on the NCWSC application was carried out as per the requirements of section 139 of the Water Act, 2016,” the official notice reads.
A Crackdown on Water Theft
To protect the new revenue stream, the government is getting tough on “non-revenue water.” The new structure introduces heavy penalties for those bypassing meters. Commercial and industrial offenders face a Sh100,000 fine, while domestic users caught with illegal connections will pay Sh30,000 plus backdated charges for the water they stole.
For those with broken hardware, the regulator clarified that “customers with non-functional meters will be billed based on the average consumption over the past three months.”
Quick Guide: How Your Bill Changes
| User Category | Consumption Band | New Rate (per m³) |
| Small Household | 1 – 6 m³ | Sh68 |
| Average Family | 7 – 20 m³ | Sh85 |
| Commercial | 1 – 50 m³ | Sh91 |
| Gated Community | Flat Rate | Sh85 |
| Sewerage Fee | All Categories | 75% of Water Bill |