Regular lodging users in Nairobi could be forced to dig deeper in their pockets if proposals contained in the Nairobi county’s Finance Bill are adopted.
According to Nairobi County Finance Bill 2023 currently before the County Assembly’s Budget and Appropriations Committee for consideration, anyone who owns lodging will now be forced to pay a Ksh50,000 fee for inspection, something which was not there in the past.
The proposal to introduce inspection fees for lodgings is among a raft of costly levies being proposed by Governor Johnson Sakaja aimed at raising Ksh19.9 billion own source revenue for the county government in the financial year June 30, 2024.
Also Read:
Currently, lodgings in Nairobi charge clients between Ksh500 to Ksh5,000 but with the proposal, the fee could rise to between Ksh1,000 to Ksh7,000.
At the same time, parents will also be paying much for daycare services since the bill proposes that Ksh2000 be paid for institution inspection fees something which was not there in the past.
Sakaja has also spread his tax net to the popular alcoholic selling joints where they will now be required to pay Ksh50,000 from Ksh25,000 annually.
Other areas which the county intends to get money from are in licensing where a license for transport Sacco will cost Ksh50,000 while Saccos with over 51 vehicles will rise to Ksh200,000 from the current Ksh160,000.
The bill also proposes a new market cess of Ksh2,500 daily for pitching a new tent with four chairs and a table.
Operating a toilet will also cost between Ksh5,000 and Ksh15,000 depending on the location.
Sakaja said that bill is still undergoing some review before it's tabled in the House for debate.
“We are looking into different areas and some of the proposals before we it presented. It’s not yet final,” he said.
