Increased charges await traders as Nairobi set to introduce unified permit

By , July 25, 2023

Nairobi traders who have been eagerly waiting for the promise by Governor Johnson Sakaja to introduce a unified single business permit could be forced to wait a little bit after the county government proposed the introduction of new licenses in the Finance Bill.

The unified single business permit was to help reduce corruption as well as help eliminate several hurdles to doing business in the capital. According to the new proposals contained in the Nairobi City County Finance Bill, 2023, traders will be required to pay for a fire licence certificate, health inspection certificate and loading zone approval license.

The county has not only maintained the above licenses but also increased fees to acquire them. A food handler’s medical certificate that was costing Sh1,000 will now be Sh1,500.

An inspection certificate will now be costing between Sh10,000- Sh100,000 depending on the size of the institution.

Small scale traders

Fire license will cost Sh2,000 for small-scale traders with one or two employees and between Sh12,000- Sh40,000 for those with shops and supermarkets.

“An application for the grant of trade license shall be accompanied by the prescribed application fees in the first schedule and be accompanied by the prescribed fees for the licenses and permits that are relevant to the trade license,” reads the bill.

While campaigning Sakaja promised to do away with multiple licenses by aggregating all the licenses into a single business permit with only a QR code for scanning.

The county in an effort to increase its revenue has also gone for the small fish in the pond.

Increased cess

Those who sell dry and fried fish will be required to pay Sh,1000 to the county while hawkers who sell food with vehicles will be required among other licenses to pay Sh7,000 on top of other required licenses. Alcoholic drink retailers will also pay double what they pay for a license.

Those who pay Sh12,000 will be required to pay Sh24,000 while those who pay Sh25,000 will be required to pay Sh50,000. This is exclusive of other licenses. Sakaja has also gone to the small traders who sell sweets on the streets as they will now be required to pay Sh2500 as a license to city hall. City hawkers will also be forced to dig a little deeper Into their pockets as they will now pay Sh50 from Sh20.

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