Measures Ruto wants to take to put money in Kenyans' pockets

President William Ruto outlined four proposed measures aimed at easing the cost of living, reducing tax obligations and expanding employment opportunities for Kenyans.

The proposals include exempting low-income earners from Pay As You Earn (PAYE) tax, scrapping stamp duty on low-value land transactions, removing import duty on mobile phones and creating more internship opportunities for young people.

Ruto announced the measures during Mashujaa Day celebrations on October 20, saying the interventions were intended to leave Kenyans with more money to spend while widening access to economic opportunities.

Under the proposed tax changes, workers earning Sh32,333 or less would be exempted from PAYE, potentially increasing their take-home pay.

The President also proposed exempting land transactions valued at Sh1 million or less from stamp duty, a move that could lower transaction costs for people buying or transferring low-value property.

In another proposed intervention, the government plans to scrap the 25 per cent import duty on mobile phones, with the aim of making the devices more affordable and easing access to digital services.

Ruto also announced plans to expand the youth internship programme by introducing 50,000 additional placements, potentially providing more young people with opportunities to gain workplace experience.

However, the measures remain proposals and will require the relevant legislative, fiscal and administrative processes before they can be implemented. Their eventual impact will depend on the final policy decisions and the arrangements adopted to put them into effect.