Relief for Traders as Governor Kimani Wamatangi Slashes License and Inspection Fees

Small-scale traders in Kiambu County have been handed some financial reprieve after the county government considerably slashed business license fees amid harsh economic times.

Following Governor Kimani Wamatangi’s intervention, small-scale traders in Kiambu County will only have to apply for a single business permit, which will cater to several license fees.

This move, according to Susan Gatwiri, the County Executive Committee Member for Trade and Industry, is set to greatly reduce license fees for traders, who would otherwise have to seek several different licenses which ultimately cost more.

“With the current Finance Act, there are some changes that have been done. We call it a unified business permit,” Gatwiri explained.

The single business permit will have in place several other charges to ensure it is a one-stop shop for all charges. Besides the business permit itself, there are also waste management charges, public inspection fees, and fire inspection fees among others.

She added, “With the current bill which has been assented to by the governor, the charges have been reduced.

Previously small-scale traders including owners of barbershops and salons and small-scale meat traders were subjected to a health inspection fee of Ksh1,500. The charges have now dropped to Ksh500.

Similarly, filling stations with less than three pumps were previously subjected to an inspection fee of Ksh4,100. After the new bill, the fee has been slashed to Ksh2,000.

Mobile accessories shops are also set to enjoy a significant reduction of inspection fees from Ksh4,000 to Ksh1,500.

Further, the Kiambu County Government also announced that the single business permits would be valid for 12 months from the date a trader acquired it.

In providing affordable tax levies, the county government hopes the move will end in an increase in own-source revenue, particularly among small-scale traders.

In 2024, Governor Wamatangi also sought to iron out issues surrounding freehold land in the county, by rescinding the decision to tax these lands.

The county government also recommended that rates for other chargeable land be scaled down from 0.25 per cent as proposed in the valuation roll passed in 2016 to 0.15 per cent.