Livestock, timber and sand targeted in new laws

By Wilberforce Netya and Fred Kibor

Kenya: Residents of West Pokot and Elgeyo/Marakwet counties will have to pay more in levies to sell their livestock in auctions.

Locals in the two counties who rely mostly on livestock to earn income will have to pay Sh50 more when they drive their animals into a livestock auction.

Elgeyo/Marakwet County Governor Alex Tolgos said they want to standardise livestock auction fees across the county to enable them realise high revenue. “Livestock auctions will now charge a standard fee of Sh200 for the sale of an animal, from Sh150,” he said.

In West Pokot, the amount charged for selling cattle has been set at Sh150 up from Sh100 and that of goats at Sh100, up from Sh50.

The charges are in the County Finance Bill 2013, which was passed by the County Assembly in September with the view of boosting revenue collection.

Levy on timber

“We have not changed the rates so much from the previous charges but we have increased levies on sand harvesting and livestock marketing, among other areas,” explained County Finance Executive Joel Ngolekong.

He said full details of the new rates would be made public once the document comes out of the government printers where it was forwarded for production.

In the same counties, sand and timber harvesting levies have also shot up. In Elgeyo/Marakwet, saw millers remitted no money to the former county councils but the devolved government has now imposed Sh400 per tonne levy on timber.