Kenya’s finance ministry is working to bring back some of the tax measures that the nation’s lawmakers were forced to abandon after weeks of deadly protests. The taxes that formed part of the Finance Bill 2024 and aimed to raise about 344 billion shillings ($2.7 billion) in the current fiscal year were scrapped after the demonstrations led to the deaths of more than 61 people and forced President William Ruto to sack his entire cabinet.

Some of the proposed taxes included increasing levies on essentials such as bread and diapers. The axed bill had been the second since Ruto came to power in 2022. The first one introduced a contentious housing tax, doubled the value-added tax on fuel and hiked the rate for the top salary-tax band to 35%.

We spoke to Robert Waruiru, a Kenya-based tax expert.

Kenya’s finance ministry is working to bring back some of the tax measures that the nation’s lawmakers were forced to abandon after weeks of deadly protests. The taxes that formed part of the Finance Bill 2024 and aimed to raise about 344 billion shillings ($2.7 billion) in the current fiscal year were scrapped after the demonstrations led to the deaths of more than 61 people and forced President William Ruto to sack his entire cabinet. Some of the proposed taxes included increasing levies on essentials such as bread and diapers. The axed bill had been the second since Ruto came to power in 2022. The first one introduced a contentious housing tax, doubled the value-added tax on fuel and hiked the rate for the top salary-tax band to 35%. We spoke to Robert Waruiru, a Kenya-based tax expert.

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