The problem with this Ruto John mbadi government is not just the taxes in the finance bill 2026.
It is the way they are hiding them.
They keep saying here:
βRead the bill yourself.β
But they know very well most Kenyans will not go through 130 pages of technical legal language.
And even if you try, the Finance Bill alone is not enough.
To fully understand what is happening, you also need the latest revised VAT Act because the bill keeps referring to paragraphs and schedules without explaining what they actually mean.
For example, instead of directly saying:
βWe are making electric bikes and related products more expensive,β
they simply write:
βMove item X to after paragraph 157.β
What they donβt tell you is that Paragraph 157 maybe falls under VAT EXEMPT supplies.
That single change matters a lot.
Under ZERO-RATED status:
Manufacturers can reclaim VAT paid on spare parts, raw materials and inputs. That helps keep prices lower.
Under VAT EXEMPT status:
They cannot reclaim that VAT anymore.
Meaning?
Higher manufacturing costs.
Higher prices.
Ordinary Kenyans pay the difference.
And here is the bigger problem:
If you search online for the VAT Act, most copies you will find are old 2013 versions that are outdated. Many sections have since been amended, deleted or added over the years.
So the average Kenyan is expected to decode legal cross-references using outdated documents while the government pretends everything is transparent.
Anyway, if this is the game they want to play, then we shall play it properly.
Over the next 72 hours, I will be sharing the problematic clauses in the Finance Bill together with evidence, screenshots and explanations so ordinary Kenyans can clearly understand what is hidden inside the bill.
If anyone has the latest revised copy of the VAT Act, kindly send it to me.
Thank you.