Mbadi hits out at Kalonzo for urging Kenyans to reject Finance Bill 2026
By Mustafa Juma, May 25, 2026Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has sharply criticised former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka over calls to reject the Finance Bill 2026, accusing him of misleading Kenyans about the contents of the proposed law.
Speaking during a press conference on Monday, May 25, 2026, Mbadi defended the Finance Bill, insisting that claims of hidden punitive tax measures and provisions targeting land ownership were false and politically motivated.
The Treasury CS said he personally drafted and submitted the Finance Bill 2026 and challenged critics to identify the alleged punitive tax clauses they have been warning Kenyans about.
“I am the one who actually drafted and submitted the Finance Bill 2026, and I ask myself, which are these punitive tax measures that I am not aware of?” Mbadi posed.
He questioned why sections of the political class were branding the Bill as oppressive without pointing to specific provisions.
“If there is something problematic with the Finance Bill 2026, let us point it out, but let us not politicise it,” he added.
Direct attack on Kalonzo
Mbadi specifically singled out Kalonzo, saying he was shocked to hear the opposition leader urge Kenyans to reject the bill while allegedly spreading false claims about land taxation.
According to the CS, the Wiper Patriotic Front leader had claimed there were hidden provisions in the Bill that would affect leasehold and freehold land ownership.
“I watched his press conference, and he said, ‘Reject the Finance Bill.’ So I was waiting to hear why Kalonzo, of all people, would ask for the Finance Bill to be rejected,” Mbadi said.
He further challenged Kalonzo, who is a lawyer by profession, to identify any clause in the bill touching on land taxation.
“Kalonzo is a lawyer. I wish he could point out in the Bill before the National Assembly any clause that talks about leasehold land, freehold land and taxation,” he said.
Mbadi maintained that the Finance Bill contains no provisions imposing taxes on land ownership.
He said the bill, which spans from page 953 to page 1074, does not mention taxation on freehold or leasehold land at all.
“I have the bill with me, and the bill is very easy to read. It runs from page 953 to page 1074, and there is nowhere it talks about taxing land. Can Hon Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka tell the people of Kenya the particular clause where it has touched on the taxation of land, whether freehold or leasehold? ” he asked.
Kalonzo’s calls for the rejection of the Finance Bill 2026
Kalonzo has issued a strong call for Kenyans to reject the Finance Bill 2026/27 in its current form, warning that it contains hidden provisions that will impose burdensome leases, particularly affecting residents of the Mt Kenya region.
Speaking on Sunday, May 24, 2026, at ACK St Stephen’s Cathedral in Kenol, Murang’a County, Musyoka urged citizens to scrutinise the bill closely during public participation, arguing it would quietly introduce financial mechanisms detrimental to ordinary households and small-scale landowners.
“Reject Finance Bill 2026/27 as it is, as it is going to quietly introduce leases which will be really hard for people from the Mt Kenya region,” he said.
He told the congregation that the bill, currently undergoing public participation in Parliament, fails to address the economic hardships faced by Kenyans and instead piles more pressure on an already strained population.
Parliament issues clarification
The exchange comes hours after the National Assembly of Kenya dismissed as false and misleading reports circulating online claiming that the Finance Bill 2026 contains provisions requiring Kenyans to pay annual land rent on freehold land.
In a clarification issued in the wee hours of Saturday, May 24, 2026, through the official feed of the Committees of the National Assembly of Kenya, the Parliament said the claims being shared on social media were inaccurate and intended to mislead members of the public.
According to the statement, the Finance Bill 2026 contains no clauses related to land ownership, land rent, or conversion of freehold land into leasehold tenure.
“The 2026 Finance Bill contains a total of 57 clauses, and none is on the subject of land,” the statement read.
Parliament further clarified that the Bill contains no provisions to introduce annual land rent payments for owners of freehold land.
“This is purely false, incorrect, and untrue. The Bill has no provisions on land. The Bill has no provisions on land rent,” the statement added.