This archive report was first published on 2 August 2019.
Published on August 2, 2019, Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko's administration has gazetted a commencement date for taxes introduced in this year's Sh32.5 billion annual budget, effectively bypassing the County Assembly's debate and vote on the new levies.
The Nairobi County Finance and Economic Planning Executive, Charles Kerich, has issued a legal notice to the Assembly, indicating that he will use the Nairobi County Provisional Collection of Revenue Act of 2013 to effect parts of the Finance Bill 2019 before debate and vote by MCAs.
According to Legal Notice 3, Kerich has ordered that all provisions of the Bill relating to taxes, fees, charges, levies, and penalties shall have effect as though the Bill were passed into law.
The new taxes, which include increased parking fees, new charges for garbage collection, fire certificates, and inspection for cats and dogs, are set to take effect on July 19, 2019.
Under the Finance Bill 2019, Nairobians will pay Sh400 parking fees up from Sh200, a fire certificate fee of Sh2,000 per annum for all city households, Sh1,000 in health inspection fee for every dog and cat, and between Sh100 to Sh600 for garbage collection for all homes.
The Clerk of the County Assembly, Jacob Ngwele, confirmed that the new charges have taken legal effect, but Nairobians have continued to pay the taxes adopted in the Finance Bill 2018 because City Hall has not yet started enforcing them.
