This archive report was first published on 16 September 2019.
On September 16, 2019, a public participation forum on the Nyeri Finance bill 2019 turned chaotic in Nyeri town after residents opposed plans to introduce new levies.
Shop owners, muguka and miraa dealers, bar owners, and matatu association representatives expressed their reservations with the bill, citing concerns over punitive fees and the potential for cartels in the business.
Movie and electronics shop owners opposed a proposal to charge them Sh5,000 noise licence fee, saying this would cripple their businesses. Muguka traders criticised a proposal to have muguka and miraa wholesalers pay Sh24,000 per year and retailers Sh10,000.
“These are the businesses that many youth engage in. This fee is punitive because we already pay a business permit fee and other levies to several other national agencies to operate our shops,” said Kibe Wandindi, a movie shop owner.
Matatu operators were also up in arms against the proposal to charge them Sh4,000 per year and a penalty of Sh5,000 for defaulters. The operators also opposed plans to review parking fees from Sh80 per day, saying this was already expensive.
The forum’s convenor, finance committee chairperson, Anatanasio Wakabaire, downplayed the chaos and said the committee would consider all proposals. He advised aggrieved residents to submit written memorandums to the assembly.
Other proposals in the bill include a Sh2,000 per day levy on tourists visiting coffee or tea factories in the county to be paid to the tourism office, and a Sh300 per month charge for traders who have been transforming shipping containers into business premises.
