KENYA's President William Ruto has reiterated the Kenya Kwanza government is committed to ensuring it fulfills it's campaign promises to Kenyans.
Speaking on November 17, 2024, while attending a Sunday Church Service at Soweto Catholic, the head of state assured congregants his administration was fast-tracking it's manifesto implementation.
“I have no doubt in my mind that Kenya is going to change. That we are going to deliver on food security, affordable housing, universal healthcare and ensure all our children go to school. I have no doubt in my mind it’s going to happen." Ruto said.
The President, speaking on the recently introduced CBC education curriculum, assured parents of it's seemless roll-out, adding his own child is under the same education module.
" My own child is studying under the CBC Programme. Unlike other politicians who send their children to study under international Curricula, I chose otherwise. As the President, I represent Kenyans and my child should experience the same education as other Kenyan children" Ruto stated.
The head of State, addressing the recent attack's from the Catholic Bishops, claimed his administration is willing to listen to their grievances.
The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB), in a press release on Thursday, November 14, accused President Ruto's administration of fostering a "culture of lies." Sentiments, that the Kenyan Governorment has not taken lightly.
" The culture of lies is swiftly replacing integrity and respect. Truth seems to no longer exist in our politics, and Kenyans have unfortunately normalized these falsehoods,” the bishops said.
They also condemned the rampant corruption, unethical leadership, abductions, and killings, urging Kenyans to hold politicians accountable.
The new health Insurance Scheme has been on the spotlight for all the negative reasons since the transition to Social Health Authority (SHA) from the now defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).
Despite the President's assurance of stabilizing the economy and lowering the cost of living, Kenyans are staring at tough economic times ahead.
Kenya's National Treasury has given notice of its intention to roll out new tax proposals under the Tax Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, for consideration in the National Assembly.
The Cs John Mbadi led Ministry, deemed the Bills necessary with an aim to boost tax revenue and strengthening funding. The new taxes will add a burden to Kenyan Taxpayers and Multinationals in the East African Country.
The bill's most notable changes include converting healthcare and housing contributions into tax-deductible expenses, replacing the Digital Services Tax with a Significant Economic Presence Tax at an effective rate of 6% of turnover (up from 1.5%), and implementing a 15% Minimum Top-Up Tax for multinational enterprises with annual consolidated turnover exceeding €750 million.
The legislation also introduces new withholding tax rates for public entity payments, increases the VAT registration threshold from KES 5 million to KES 8 million, and expands the definition of digital marketplace services to include ride-hailing, food delivery, and freelance services.
These reforms align with Kenya's Medium-Term Revenue Strategy to increase the tax-to-GDP ratio from 14.1% to 20% within three fiscal years (2024/25 to 2026/27), while simultaneously modernizing the tax framework to capture the growing digital economy and ensure compliance with international tax standards
The changes are set to take effect from July 1, 2024, with certain digital economy provisions commencing from January 1, 2025, requiring businesses and individuals to adapt their financial planning and compliance systems accordingly.
