The Finance Bill 2026 should build, not drain Kenyan economy

Debate around the Finance Bill 2026 risks becoming too narrowly focused on taxation targets and short-term revenue collection yet the country’s deeper economic challenge today is not simply insufficient taxation. It is insufficient growth, weak private-sector investment, slow industrial expansion, regulatory fragmentation and inadequate mobilisation of long-term domestic capital.

The question MPs should ask is not only how much additional tax can be collected this year but whether the Finance Bill expands or suppresses the future revenue base.