Kitui Residents Engage County on Finance Bill 2026/2027 as Public Participation Begins

The County Government of Kitui has kicked off public participation on the proposed Kitui County Finance Bill 2026/2027, opening a crucial opportunity for residents, traders and other stakeholders to have their say on the fees, charges and revenue measures proposed for the coming financial year. The exercise In Kitui South was led by Director of Revenue Management Roselyne Kavata, who spearheaded the engagement with members of the public.

The public participation exercise is being conducted in line with the constitutional requirement for public involvement in county financial matters. Residents have been invited to participate either by submitting memoranda and proposals on the proposed rates, fees and charges or by attending the scheduled public forums across the county.

The county has scheduled public participation meetings across all eight sub-counties, bringing the Finance Bill discussion closer to residents at the grassroots. The venues include ATC in Kitui Central, Mwingi Resource Centre, Mutomo Service Hall, AIC Zombe, ACK Kyusyani, Kitui West Sub-County offices, the TSC Hall in Mwingi West and the Mwingi North Youth Empowerment Centre in Kyuso.

According to the Finance Bill public participation booklet, the proposed framework largely maintains existing charges while introducing new categories and making targeted adjustments in selected areas. Of the 25 fee lines reviewed, 12 have no increase, 10 are new revenue sources or new categories, two have targeted increases and one is proposed for removal.

Among the proposed changes is a new annual charge of KSh5,000 for commercial tuk-tuks and motorcycles used for transportation, while authorised telecommunications agents are proposed to benefit from a reduction in their fee from KSh40,000 to KSh20,000. The county also proposes reducing private borehole drilling service fees from KSh50,000 to KSh30,000.

The Bill also proposes the introduction of several new business categories, including electric motorcycle and vehicle battery charging stations, larger second-hand clothing chains, selected hospitality businesses and new classifications for pool-table establishments. The booklet states that the proposed categories are intended to provide clearer classification and align charges with different types and sizes of businesses.

For residents and the business community, the public participation process provides an opportunity to scrutinise the proposed measures, raise concerns and submit recommendations before the Finance Bill progresses through the county legislative process. The county has also proposed scrapping a KSh5,500 noise-pollution permit where it considers the charge duplicative of existing noise-control permits and licences.

//