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President William Ruto assented to seven parliamentary Bills into law on Wednesday, December 11, 2024, at an event held at State House, Nairobi.

In a statement, the Head of State announced that the Bills will help accelerate the implementation of his bottom-up economic agenda, which catapulted him to power during the 2022 presidential campaigns.

The seven Bills include the Kenya Revenue Authority (Amendment) Bill 2024, the Kenya Roads (Amendment) Bill 2024, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (Amendment) Bill 2024 and the Statutory Instruments (Amendment) Bill 2023.

President Ruto also signed the Business Laws (Amendment) Bill 2024, the Tax Procedures (Amendment) Bill 2024, and the Tax Laws (Amendment) Bill 2024 into law.

Breakdown of the Bills

According to a communique from the State House, the Kenya Revenue Authority (Amendment) Bill 2024 will allow the taxman to appoint a deputy commissioner. The appointment will be done by KRA Commissioner General but it will be subjected to the approval of the Board.

This Bill also gives the Treasury Cabinet Secretary the power to waive the penalty payable by an appointed agent who fails to transfer funds collected if the failure is inadvertent.

New Treasury CS power is established following the amendment of the KRA Act.

EACC Bill 2024

The EACC amendment Bill 2024 on the other hand seeks to effect the recommendations and views of the public submitted by the National Dialogue Committee on governance.

It also amends the provisions of the EACC Act prescribing the qualifications for the appointment of the commission chairperson. It stipulates that the commission chairperson be qualified to hold the office of a judge of the High Court.

The communique from the State House explains that the new qualifications will help EACC get a substantive head who will offer leadership and strategic direction to the commission.

Business Laws Amendment Bill 2024

This Bill seeks to make changes to various Acts of Parliament to boost financial stability, protect depositors and promote integrity in the financial services sector.

The Business Laws Amendment Bill 2024 further promotes the ease of doing business through the amendment of the Kenya Accreditation Service Act. This amendment is set to provide mandatory accreditation of conformity assessment institutions by the Kenya Accreditation Service.

Further, the Bill amends the Special Economic Zones Act to empower the respective Cabinet Secretary to set the minimum amount to be invested in a special economic zone and for a one-stop shop where enterprises can send all their applications for ease of doing business.