Welcome to Kenya—the land where every breath you take is taxed, every move you make is levied, and every penny you earn is subject to scrutiny. Our government has turned taxation into a racket that leaves you staring at your bills, wondering whether you’re funding a functional nation or a black hole.
Let’s talk about the absurdity of these taxes and levies. From the obvious income tax to the hidden costs that sneak up on you, it’s clear the system is aiming to drain us dry. Fuel, for example. You’re not just paying for petrol—you’re donating to a cocktail of excise duties, VAT, road maintenance levies, and even petroleum development fees. By the time you’ve paid for your fuel, you’ve practically funded a small infrastructure project, except there’s no trace of it in your daily life. Have the potholes been fixed? And what is petroleum development all about anyway?
Electricity fares no better. Every flick of a switch is accompanied by a 16% VAT, a 5% rural electrification levy, WRA Levy, ERC Levy, Fuel cost, FERFA and Inflation for good measure. 30% of an electricity bill is taxes! How is it that we’ve been paying these for years, yet we still face power outages that make the Stone Age look appealing? Rural electrification levy, they call it—yet rural areas remain underserved, living in a perpetual gloom of candlelight and kerosene lamps. What the hell is FERFA anyway?
Railway line to… nowhere
And don’t even get me started on the Railway Development Levy. Imagine importing a car—you pay Import and Excise duties, VAT, a “Sin” Tax etc.. and then you’re slapped with a 1.5% levy for railway development that you won’t use because you have a car, for heavens sake. We’ve paid billions over the years, and Standard Gauge Railway might exist, but its promise of economic renaissance is now a long-running joke. Here’s old my rant about that particular wonder of the world.
Then there’s the VAT on water—because staying hydrated or bathing should come with an added financial burden, right? Water, a basic necessity of life, is treated like a luxury in this taxation circus. And as for property taxes, death taxes, and withholding taxes, they’re just another reminder that the government has found ways to squeeze every aspect of our existence. They don’t just tax the living; they tax the dead, too. Talk about commitment.
For all the taxes we’ve paid in the last ten to fifteen years, has life improved for the average Kenyan? Is boga, sugar or unga any cheaper, is Joe Public putting his kids through school? Are our roads smoother, our public services better, our healthcare accessible? Sadly, the answer is a resounding “No!”. We’ve seen grand promises and lofty visions, Silicon Savannah and Kenya Space Agency to name a couple, but the reality on the ground is a painful disconnect. Our taxes vanish into an abyss, swallowed by inefficiency, corruption, and mismanagement. It is then dosed with arrogance and abuse and threats against objectors.
By stark contrast, the Netherlands is ranked second in the EU for pension fund assets, holding €1.36 trillion that taxpayers will absolutely benefit from. Trillion Euros, Twelve zeros. And that’s second place. For us it’s a dream to even know that our nine zero figures are still there and accounted for, in Shillings. Forget what it would be if we were dealing with the Euro number.
We are not asking for the moon and stars—we are asking for accountability. If we’re funding roads, we want to drive on pothole-free streets. If we’re paying electricity levies, we expect consistent power supply. And if we’re contributing to railway development, let’s see the railways flourish. Healthcare, security, street lighting even. The Auditor General reports are only about theft and unaccountability. Not even one positive report that I have seen recently and now don’t even bother reading beyond the headline. The Auditor General has to be very depressed citizen to be uncovering so much mismanagement.
And yet, through all this, we are admonished by the President to “live within our means.” How? When every means we have is taxed to the bone, every effort to save or invest is met with levies and more taxes, when even the basics of life—water, electricity, health—are priced beyond reach, how are we supposed to live within our means?
In June last year at least 60 people died protesting the tax regime, nothing really changed other than the government knuckled down on anyone they consider Gen Z and therefore anti.
Will it happen again in a few weeks?
PS €1.36 trillion Euros converts to One hundred and ninety-nine trillion, three hundred and thirty-five billion, two hundred million Kenya Shillings. EeMajin
May 27, 2025
Last Updated on December 27, 2025
