Nairobi, May 24 -- The Finance Bill 2024 may be long behind us, but its political ghosts still haunt Kenya. No debate on taxation, governance, or public trust can be complete without Kenyans referring to the 2024 protests.

Against this background, the proposed Finance Bill 2026-an Act of Parliament aimed at amending various taxes and duties-deserves greater scrutiny to determine whether or not it rebuilds confidence in Kenyans' extremely fragile public trust amid increasing economic hardships.

To the Treasury's credit, the Bill proposes a centralised and technologically integrated, zero-tolerance for non-compliance stance, shifting from its hitherto fragmented enforcement.

On the back of unmet fiscal deficit targets and the Medium-Term...