Motorists Association faults World Bank over push for more taxes
By Kenneth Mwenda, October 9, 2025The Motorists Association of Kenya (MAK) has criticised the World Bank for urging the government to impose new taxes, saying the move would worsen the already high cost of living for ordinary Kenyans.
In a statement posted on Thursday, 9 October 2025, the association accused the World Bank of pushing economic policies that benefit foreign interests at the expense of local citizens. It said the lender’s latest call for higher value-added tax (VAT) and excise duty was unfair, given that Kenyans were still recovering from last year’s tax hikes and the effects of inflation.
“The World Bank is at it again – pushing the government to impose more VAT and Excise taxes at a time when Kenyans are already struggling to survive,” they stated.
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“The current high cost of living bewildering our nation is not an accident; it is the direct result of previous World Bank dictates, often tied to loans for projects that are either unnecessary, poorly implemented, or, in some cases, completely phantom. Many of these deals have skirted legal procedures and lacked transparency, yet the burden always falls on the ordinary Kenyan.”
The World Bank recently advised Kenya to consider more consumption taxes to help clear pending bills, which rose to Ksh526 billion in June from Ksh421.6 billion in March.
“To clear pending bills, finance their payment with higher consumption taxes,” the World Bank said in its sub-Saharan Africa economic outlook report.
The proposed taxes would target goods such as fuel, alcohol, and mobile airtime, as well as an expanded range of products that attract VAT.
Warning against tax burden
MAK said such measures would push prices higher and further burden motorists, small businesses, and low-income families.
“Let us not forget 2018, when the World Bank pressured Kenya to impose a 16% VAT on fuel. Motorists, led by the Motorist Association of Kenya (MAK), protested vigorously, warning of the economic harm it would bring,” the association said.
“As the demonstrations gained momentum, they were deliberately sabotaged by certain matatu organisations acting at the behest of vested interests. The result? Soaring fuel prices, inflation, and the suffocation of small businesses.”
The group accused the World Bank of hiding behind phrases like fiscal discipline while promoting policies that lead to job losses and business closures. It also blamed the lender for encouraging austerity programmes that cut public sector jobs and weakened local industries.
“The World Bank does not own Kenya,” the association said. “Our future cannot be dictated by foreign institutions that have shown time and again that their interests lie not with the people but with profits and control.”
MAK urged Kenyans to resist any fresh attempt to increase taxes, warning that more levies on fuel and basic goods would crush economic recovery. The association said it was ready to mobilise peaceful protests if the government follows the World Bank’s recommendations.