President William Ruto on Tuesday signed the Finance Bill 2026 into law at State House, Nairobi, completing the final legislative step required to operationalise the government’s KSh 4.8 trillion national budget for the 2026/27 financial year.
The signing ceremony was attended by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, Senator Oburu Odinga, Cabinet Secretaries, and parliamentary leadership from both the Majority and Minority sides.
With the law now in place, the National Treasury has legal authority to collect revenue and implement spending across government ministries, counties and agencies from July 1, 2026, covering areas including salaries, development projects, debt servicing and public services.
Speaking ahead of the signing at the 95th St John Ambulance Annual Parade on June 21, Ruto had signalled his intent and defended the Bill’s purpose. “It is the reason why in the budget and the Finance Bill that I’m going to sign on Tuesday, we have enhanced the resources to make sure that we cover every aspect of the commitments we have made to the people of Kenya,” he said.
At the ceremony, the Clerk of the National Assembly noted that the Bill had undergone extensive public participation, with the Finance and National Planning Committee receiving over 100,000 written memoranda and holding public hearings in 13 counties before the legislation was finalised. Its clauses were trimmed from 56 to 54 following amendments during the committee stage.
The Clerk also moved to set the record straight on widely circulated concerns, clarifying that the Finance Bill 2026 contains no mobile money tax and makes no amendments to land laws.
The National Assembly passed the Bill on June 18 during its Third Reading, with 122 MPs voting in favour and 40 opposing it, while 187 abstained. The low participation drew scrutiny, with the vote count representing one of the thinnest showings on a major fiscal bill since the ill-fated Finance Bill 2024. Key figures including Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro were absent from the session entirely.
Ruto praised the lawmakers who voted for the Bill despite public pressure, saying during a Nandi address on June 19: “Nashukuru Bunge jana walipitisha Finance Bill na kutoruhusu watu wa porojo, fitina na propaganda. History will record that when a time was required to stand for country, you were there.”
The legislation has not been without its critics. Siaya Governor James Orengo urged the President to withhold his assent, arguing the Bill passed without adequate parliamentary participation and lacked sufficient consensus. Opposition leaders also raised concerns over potential increases in the cost of living, questioned new levies on fuel and imports, and challenged the clarity of a KSh 101 billion allocation in the budget framework.
The government has maintained that the reforms are necessary, fiscally sound, and responsive to the country’s economic realities. Attention now turns to Treasury’s implementation of the new budget, and whether any court challenges to the legislation will follow.
