JULISHA MEDIA WEEKLY NEWS ROUND-UP.
Ruto's advisors cost taxpayers sh 1 Billion annually.
President William Ruto’s advisors are costing taxpayers over Ksh1 billion annually, with each earning up to Ksh1 million per month—equivalent to salaries for Cabinet and Principal Secretaries.
A Cabinet Secretary earns a basic Ksh594,000, while a Principal Secretary gets Ksh491,906, with allowances pushing both to about Ksh1 million. Advisors fall into various job groups, some earning as much as Ksh1000,000 while the junior officers are earning about Ksh 200,000 depending on their expertise.
Despite concerns over their growing number and overlapping roles, State House Comptroller Katoo Ole Metito defended their presence, citing their role in policy decisions like lowering the exchange rate from Ksh162 to Ksh129. He also dismissed claims that the advisory roles are being used to replace the outlawed Chief Administrative Secretary positions.
Meanwhile, State House has been allocated Ksh8 billion in the upcoming budget, even as funding for former leaders like Uhuru Kenyatta faces significant cuts.
KEBS Warns Over Substandard Electronic Appliances.
The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has raised an alarm over the sale of substandard electronic appliances in the country. In a statement, KEBS revealed that its surveillance team had seized several electronic appliances being sold in Nairobi CBD and Mombasa.
One of the items seized included power extensions and sockets. In this case, the sockets were noted to have lacked essential safety features, which pose a risk to many Kenyans at home.
"These substandard universal socket outlets and household appliances were found to lack essential safety features, such as shutters and an earthing mechanism, which pose significant risks of electrocution," KEBS stated.
Additionally, KEBS indicated that most of the substandard devices were labelled in foreign languages, which is against the set standards.
"Items that were exclusively labelled in a foreign language, in this case Chinese, which is against the requirements of the standard, were seized, as they do not meet the labelling requirements for products sold in the Kenyan market," KEBS added.
Kenyans can check whether a product meets the required standards by checking for the Standardisation Mark and sending the code to 20023. If a product does not meet the quality expected, one can call 1545.
Duale Clarifies UHC Staff Transition Amid Strike Threats.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has responded to the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) secretary general Seth Panyako, who hinted at an imminent nationwide strike if the government fails to implement the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and the absorption of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) staff into permanent and pensionable terms.
Duale said the national government is focused on national referral health facilities, health policy formulation, standard-setting, capacity building, and technical assistance to county governments.
On the other hand, Duale said county governments are responsible for County Health Services, which include the UHC staff as from July 1, 2025.
“As part of ongoing consultations, the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Council of Governors, convened key engagements, including a meeting on 14th April 2025, co-chaired by the Chair of the Council of Governors, H.E. Governor Ahmed Abdullahi. Further to this, on 6th May 2025, a consultative meeting was held between the Ministry of Health, the Council of Governors, healthcare worker unions, and UHC representatives to deliberate on matters affecting UHC staff,” Duale stated.
“Following these engagements, the Ministry wishes to inform Kenyans, healthcare worker unions, and stakeholders of the agreements reached: Effective 1st July 2025, UHC staff will be transferred to county governments, by 1st July 2025, the management of UHC staff payrolls and associated budgets will be transferred to county governments and UHC staff contracts, as agreed between individual staff and County Governments, will remain valid until May 2026, as per the signed agreements.”
Duale says the transition of UHC staff to permanent and pensionable terms of employment will be incorporated into the Financial Year 2026/27 budget upon contract expiry.
He also revealed that gratuity for UHC staff will be processed upon contract expiry, following guidance from the Public Service Commission.
“The Ministry urges the Council of Governors to expedite the submission of verified UHC staff returns to facilitate the preparation of the May 2025 payroll.
The Ministry of Health remains committed to the success of Universal Health Coverage and acknowledges the invaluable contributions of UHC staff in delivering essential health services across the country. We will continue to foster collaborative solutions to uphold their welfare and ensure seamless healthcare service delivery for all Kenyans,” he added.
Employers Push for More Tax Reductions.
The Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) has decried the high tax burden that has affected businesses and forced companies to lay off thousands of workers.
FKE Executive Director Jacqueline Mugo says that several firms closed down due to high operational costs, leading to the loss of jobs.
Mugo proposed a reduction of the housing levy and the Social Health Authority (SHA) levy in the next national budget to ease the financial burden on employers and Kenyans.
At the same time, FKE urged the government to engage Sudanese authorities to restore market access for tea from the Mombasa tea auction.
Mugo noted that since the ban on Kenyan tea on March 11, 2025 a loss of about Sh2.4 billion has been recorded.
“We are deeply concerned about the ban by the government of Sudan on Kenyan tea imports since March 11, 2025. This unilateral action has caused losses estimated at Sh2.4 billion, with tea stuck at Port Sudan, on vessels en route or in warehouses in Mombasa,” she noted.
Govt Announces Commencement Dates for Rironi-Mau Summit Road Construction.
The dualing of the Rironi-Mau Summit Road is expected to commence in July, following the recent finalisation of a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) agreement in China.
The road project is estimated to cost Ksh90 billion and will be completed within two years.
“This transformative project will stimulate the economies of Rift Valley, Nyanza, and Western regions, creating thousands of jobs prioritised for local communities, particularly Nakuru residents,” Deputy President Kithure Kindiki announced.
Treasury to Monitor Suppliers' Bank Transactions via e-Procurement System.
Starting in July, the National Treasury will begin monitoring suppliers’ bank transactions through a newly integrated electronic procurement platform, in a bid to eliminate tax evasion, fronting, and inflated financial claims by firms competing for government contracts.
According to Treasury Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo, the electronic Government Procurement system (e-GP) will be directly linked to banks and the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). This integration will enable real-time access to financial data and tax compliance records of firms bidding for state tenders.
KPA Targets Port Expansion to Handle 47 Million Tonnes by 2029.
The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) is pushing forward with a multi-billion-dollar expansion and modernisation plan to accommodate an anticipated 47 million metric tonnes of cargo within five years. In 2024, KPA handled 41.1 million tonnes—up 14.1% from 36.0 million tonnes in 2023.
Central to the plan is the construction of Phase Three of the Second Container Terminal, which will boost capacity by 500,000 TEUs.
A feasibility study has greenlit a 350-metre berth with a 15-metre draught, with KPA partnering with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for implementation.
While the exact cost of phase three remains undisclosed, Phase One cost Ksh26 billion, and Phase Two—with three berths—was valued at about Ksh32 billion.
Gov’t Pushed to Reduce Turnover Tax and Introduce Tax Holiday.
The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) has called on the government to reduce the turnover tax rate from the current 1.5 per cent to 0.5 per cent.
KNCCI President Eric Rutto expressed that the move would help small businesses that are affected by the tax.
He noted that the reduction would help the government widen the tax base as businesses grow and create more jobs for Kenyans.
On the other hand, KNCCI also recommended the introduction of a two-year tax holiday for start-ups.
"We have studied the Indian economy for start-ups, and we want fast-tracking of the start-up bill. So, if you give us those tax holidays, two things will happen, one, growth, secondly, you will formalise the SMEs," he stated.
475 KRA Officials Barred From Processing VAT Refunds.
Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has barred 475 officials from approving applications for VAT refunds following an audit undertaken by the taxman.
KRA discovered notable discrepancies in VAT refunds, as it was revealed that some businesses were using loopholes to file fraudulent claims for refunds.
For instance, the audit exposed that some of the businesses had not engaged in any trade but created false transactions to seek refunds from KRA.
According to the audit, the taxman was losing close to Ksh2 billion monthly through the fraudulent claims.
While it was not established that the 475 officials colluded with the businesses, there have been suspicions that some business entities may be colluding with some officials to process their claims.
“The authority to approve VAT obligation applications has been significantly restricted, reducing the number of staff with this role from 645 to 170. This measure is designed to improve oversight and reduce opportunities for fraudulent registrations,” the Business Daily quoted the KRA report.
"At registration, we have reviewed and tightened the VAT guidelines relating to the addition of VAT obligations. This includes enhanced physical verification checks and more rigorous taxpayer due diligence to ensure legitimacy before registration.”
UK Visa Changes for Workers and Students.
The UK government announced that it was abolishing the social care visa, which foreigners, including Kenyans, used to get caregiving jobs in the UK.
As detailed in the new policy, the caregiver's jobs will be reserved for locals, given that the UK government has noted several abuses of the visa.
"In line with our wider reforms to skills thresholds, we will close social care visas to new applications from abroad. For a transition period until 2028, we will permit visa extensions and in-country switching for those already in the country with working rights, but this will be kept under review," read the document in part.
Equally, the UK is also reducing the allowance period that foreign students have to stay in the UK after completing their studies.
Under the new policy, graduates will only be allowed to remain in the UK after their studies for a maximum period of 18 months.
"The Government will explore introducing a levy on higher education provider income from international students, to be reinvested into the higher education and skills system. Further details will be set out in the Autumn Budget," read the policy in part.
𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐭 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐬.
The 20,000 teacher interns hired this year will have to continue on internship terms as the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) lacks the Ksh3 billion needed to confirm them permanently, MPs were told. Despite lobbying the Treasury, no funds were allocated in the 2025/26 budget for their absorption.
Meanwhile, MPs demanded TSC develop a formula to prioritize unemployed teachers over 45 in the next recruitment, citing concerns that many are aging out without employment. The TSC was allocated funds to recruit another 20,000 interns, even as MPs warned that extending internship beyond one year violates a court ruling. TSC also revealed it lacks funds to implement a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, set to begin in July.
