Parliament's tax verdict: What to expect from the proposed law

Parliament  plenary in session. [Elvis Ogina,Standard]

MPs handed ordinary consumers a surprise reprieve by rejecting several of the most politically toxic consumption tax proposals in the Finance Bill 2026, though a raft of new levies buried deep within the controversial law still threatens to quietly drain already hard-pressed Kenyan households' wallets.

The Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning, chaired by Kuria Kimani, released its comprehensive report following weeks of intense and heated public hearings across 13 counties.