President William Ruto on Wednesday signed into law seven parliamentary bills aimed at accelerating the implementation of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.
The seven bills include the Kenya Revenue Authority (Amendment) Bill 2024, the Kenya Roads (Amendment) Bill 2024, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (Amendment) Bill 2024 and the Statutory Instruments (Amendment) Bill 2023.
Others are the Companies Laws (Amendment) Bill 2024, the Taxation Procedures (Amendment) Bill 2024, and the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill 2024.
The Kenya Revenue Authority (Amendment) Bill 2024 provides for the appointment of deputy commissioners by the Commissioner-General.
However, the appointments will be subject to the approval of the Board. The Bill also amends the KRA Act to give the National Treasury Cabinet Secretary the power to waive the penalty payable by an appointed agent who fails to remit collected funds if the failure was inadvertent.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (Amendment) Bill 2024 seeks to give effect to the recommendations and views of the public submitted by the National Dialogue Committee on Governance.
It also amends the provisions of the EACC Act that prescribe the qualifications for the appointment of the Chairperson of the Commission. The Bill provides that the Chairperson of the Commission must be a person qualified to hold the office of Judge of the High Court.
This will enable the incumbent to provide leadership and strategic direction to the Commission. Meanwhile, the Business Laws (Amendment) Bill 2024 seeks to amend various Acts of Parliament to strengthen financial stability, protect depositors, and promote integrity in the financial services sector.
It also promotes the ease of doing business by amending the Kenya Accreditation Service Act and provides for mandatory accreditation of conformity assessment bodies by the Kenya Accreditation Service.
The Bill also amends the Special Economic Zones Act to empower the relevant Cabinet Secretary to determine the minimum amount to be invested in a special economic zone and to provide a one-stop shop where companies can submit all their applications for ease of doing business.
