Nairobi, July 23 -- Stocks of bottled water manufactured or imported before July 1, 2026 have been exempted from a directive requiring traders and manufacturers to surrender all unused excise stamps after the commodity was removed from the list of excisable goods through the Finance Act, 2026.

"Taxpayers holding unused V4 excise stamps for bottled water as at 1 July 2026 are required to return the stamps to the Kenya Revenue Authority in accordance with these guidelines," the Kenya Revenue Authority said.

"However, taxpayers should note that bottled water lawfully manufactured or imported and stamped before July 1, 2026 may continue to be sold with the affixed stamps."

The exemption is expected to provide relief to traders and manufact...