Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has assured Kenyans that the 2025/2026 Budget is focused on easing the economic burden on citizens, with no new tax increases introduced in the proposed Finance Bill.
Speaking during the presentation of the budget framework, Mbadi underscored that the government has adopted a leaner, citizen-centred approach aimed at safeguarding livelihoods and restoring fiscal discipline. He emphasized that the Finance Bill 2025 is the first in Kenya’s history to be completely devoid of any additional taxes.
“We have a modest Finance Bill 2025. It is a Finance Bill with no tax increases and no high taxes. This is happening for the first time,” said Mbadi. “Let nobody cheat you, or lie to you; there is no tax increase. What we have done is streamline tax administration and management to make it more efficient and responsive.”
In response to widespread concerns about high taxation and public resource mismanagement, Mbadi reiterated that the budget prioritizes ordinary Kenyans. The Treasury has introduced measures to tighten controls on public spending, close revenue leakages, and enhance service delivery without placing additional tax pressure on citizens.
“Kenyans complained about high taxation; therefore, we were very cautious as a government to ensure that we didn’t introduce unreasonable taxes that would again overburden Kenyans,” he added.
He further disclosed that the Treasury is deliberately scaling back on excessive allocations to curb wastage and redirect resources to high-impact programmes such as education, healthcare, and infrastructure.
“We are trying to manage the budget. If you allocate too much, it will be wasted,” Mbadi noted. “Please do not allow those who have benefited from the misuse of public resources to attack the government for reducing their budget.”
The CS urged the public to support ongoing reforms meant to seal financial loopholes, bolster accountability, and ensure value for every taxpayer’s shilling.
“The problem with Kenyans is that sometimes we make noise about too much money going into certain areas because people are stealing. But when we reduce the budget and introduce controls to stop theft, we again start to complain,” he remarked.
The Finance Bill 2025 is currently under public scrutiny ahead of parliamentary debate later this month.
Written By Rodney Mbua
