Sakaja drops Finance Bill days after Makueni

Nairobi governor Johnson Sakaja now says that the county government has put on hold plans to table a new Finance Bill 2024, citing the need to listen to the people.

 Sakaja who was speaking yesterday said the county will continue operating with the Finance Bill 2023 as they continue to listen to city residents for more views.

  “As we speak we have the finance bill 2023 that is fully operational. We are taking time to consolidate more views from all stakeholders. We are not in any rush at all,” said Sakaja.

 At the same time, Sakaja said that Nairobi County will continue to observe serious austerity measures as they put more measures to improve the lives of city residents.

 The move by Sakaja comes a few days after Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo (below) also backtracked on his plan to increase taxes in the county Finance Bill 2024.

He has withdrawn the bill in its entirety to avert the wrath of residents who had cried foul over the proposed tax hike.

This comes barely a week after President William Ruto declined to assent to the Finance Bill, 2024 passed by the National Assembly following days of protests by the youth.

Kilonzo Jnr said he made the move after receiving intelligence reports that residents were planning demonstrations against the planned tax hike.

“We sat as Cabinet and decided not to implement our new tax proposals this year after traders said they could not afford them, citing tough economic times. We will revisit the proposals in the next financial year when the economy improves,” Kilonzo Jnr told reporters on Monday.

The announcement means the county will continue with its 2023/2024 financial plan. The withdrawal followed intense pressure from residents who complained about the tax plan.

According to Makueni Finance Executive Damaris Kavoi, some of the new taxes proposed by the county government include Sh30,000 for evacuating flammable substances using standby fire engines, Sh3,000 per day for taking wedding photographs at Makongo Viewpoint, and Sh100 per trip for donkeys used for commercial purposes.

He had also proposed a Sh400 increase in the cess paid on a tractor load of sand used for domestic purposes. “Once the economy improves, we will return to our tax proposals,” said Kilonzo Jnr.