Civil Society Lists Essential Goods That Should Be Exempt from Taxation
On Monday, April 14, civil society organisations in Kenya released a new set of demands to the Kenya Kwanza government following a recent downgrade of Kenya’s civic space rating—from “obstructed” to “oppressed.”
The downgrade sparked serious concerns among activists, leading to a wide-ranging meeting where several pressing issues were discussed.
One of the key demands made by these organisations involved public finance and taxation. The civil society groups strongly urged the government to scrap taxes on essential goods and services.
These include food items, medical supplies, school materials, and electricity.
According to them, such tax relief is necessary to ease the financial burden faced by ordinary Kenyan citizens and to make the cost of living more manageable.
The statement issued during the meeting emphasized that taxing essential goods goes against the fundamental rights of citizens.
“All taxes on essential goods and services—including food, medicine, education materials, and electricity—must be removed to reduce the cost of living and uphold the right to life and dignity,” the statement read.
The civil society organisations also called for an immediate end to double taxation, arguing that citizens should not be taxed multiple times for the same services or goods.
In addition to these tax-related demands, the civil society urged the government to stop implementing what they termed “punitive” financial policies.
This includes scrapping the controversial Housing Levy and other harsh taxation measures introduced under President William Ruto’s administration.
Another major area of concern for the civil society groups was how Kenya handles its borrowing. They demanded that the government resume its cooperation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under the Extended Fund Facility programme.
The activists believe this move would help the country secure low-interest financing and reintroduce financial discipline that has been lacking since Kenya exited the programme.
The IMF had previously laid out a series of conditions for Kenya to remain under the programme, but the country opted out during the final review phase.
The statement also stressed the need to halt any legislative changes that would weaken Kenya’s legal limits on borrowing—referred to as the debt anchor.
Instead, the government was advised to prioritise borrowing from external sources that offer concessional rates, rather than relying on expensive domestic and commercial loans.
Furthermore, civil society groups called for greater transparency and accountability in the management of public finances.
They said that Parliament and the Auditor-General should be given more power to question and explain every new loan and any variations in budget deficits.
Public officials must be held responsible for how funds are used, and the people deserve clear explanations about any financial decisions that impact the country’s economy.
On the issue of governance and service delivery, the organisations also demanded that the government strengthen the devolution system by ensuring counties receive their fair share of funds through timely and full disbursement of the equitable share.
They noted that devolution would only succeed if counties are well-funded and allowed to function independently.
Lastly, the organisations raised the issue of corruption in public offices. They called on the government to take firm action against officials involved in graft, including removing them from office and barring them from holding any future public roles.
“Leaders who cannot tackle the most pressing issue of our time should vacate office and stop recycling unethical individuals into public service,” the statement concluded.
In summary, the civil society’s demands focused on lowering the cost of living, improving financial management, fighting corruption, and ensuring that leadership is transparent, ethical, and accountable to the people.
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