If your last few electricity bills in Rwanda felt heavier than usual, you’re not imagining it. RURA (the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority) revised national power tariffs effective October 1, 2025, the first major review since 2020. You’ve probably seen the headline figure, Rwf 214 per kWh, floating around. Here’s the catch: that’s a blended average across all customer categories combined households, businesses, industries, and institutions not what any single household actually pays.
What Rwandan Households Actually Pay Now
| Monthly usage | New rate (Rwf/kWh) | Previous rate |
| 0–20 kWh | 89 | 89 (unchanged) |
| 20–50 kWh | 310 | 212 |
| Above 50 kWh | 369 | 249 |
If your household uses more than 20 kWh a month, which covers most homes running a fridge, a few lights, and basic appliances, you’re paying 46–48% more than before, even though the lowest-usage lifeline rate didn’t move at all.
What’s Actually Driving the Increase
- The currency did most of the damage.
The last tariff review was in 2020, when the US dollar traded at around Rwf 1,000. Since then, the Rwandan franc has depreciated close to 60% against the dollar, while tariffs stayed frozen. That gap hit the national utility’s balance sheet hard, and this review is largely about closing it.
- Rwanda is expanding power access fast.
Electricity access has jumped from just 1% in the 1990s to roughly 83% today. Building out the grid to reach new households and businesses isn’t free, and part of that cost gets passed on through tariffs.
- Production costs have gone up.
Officials point to why your electricity bill in Rwanda Is rising is due to rising in generation costs as a key reason for the review, on top of the currency pressure.
Who’s Protected, Who Isn’t
- Low-income households: (0–20 kWh/month) are shielded, the lifeline tariff stayed flat at Rwf 89/kWh, and the protected bracket was even widened from 0–15 kWh to 0–20 kWh.
- Large industries: Got the smallest bump of any category (about 3.2%, from Rwf 94 to Rwf 97/kWh) to protect jobs, exports, and competitiveness.
- Households above 20 kWh/month are absorbing the sharpest increases, and it’s already showing up in real family budgets.
- Schools and health facilities now pay Rwf 214/kWh, up from Rwf 186, this is the figure that’s easy to mistake for a general household rate, since it happens to match the system-wide average everyone’s been quoting.
How to Keep Your Electricity Bill Down in Rwanda
- Unplug appliances on standby, they draw power even when “off”
- Switch to LED bulbs if you haven’t already
- Use a gas or induction cooker instead of an electric kettle or stove for long cooking tasks
- Track your monthly kWh usage so you know exactly when you’re crossing into a higher tariff bracket
- Consider solar water heating if you’re building or renovating, it cuts one of the biggest household electricity draws
The Bigger Picture
The government’s bet is that short-term pain now leads to a more stable, self-sufficient grid, with a new “Fiscal Sustainability Model” aimed at reducing the state’s subsidy burden going forward. For now, most households using more than the lifeline amount will just need to budget a little tighter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my electricity bill in Rwanda suddenly go up? RURA revised national tariffs on October 1, 2025 for the first time since 2020. Households using more than 20 kWh a month now pay significantly more per unit, while the lowest-usage bracket stayed the same.
Is Rwf 214 per kWh what I’m being charged? Not directly. That figure is the new system-wide average across all customer types. Actual household rates range from Rwf 89 to Rwf 369/kWh depending on how much you use.
Which households are protected from the increase? Anyone using 20 kWh or less per month pays the unchanged lifeline rate of Rwf 89/kWh.
Want more on navigating cost-of-living changes in Kigali? Check out our other guides on Living in Kigali.
