Ruto proposes PAYE exemption up to Sh32,333 and 50,000 paid internships
In his Mashujaa Day speech in Eldoret, the President also proposed scrapping stamp duty on land deals worth Sh1 million or less.
Based on reporting by The Kenya Times (full speech) and Eastleigh Voice (full speech).
President William Ruto during a meeting at the European Commission. File photo, 2026. Photo: Lukasz Kobus, European Commission / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
President William Ruto has proposed exempting Kenyans who earn Sh32,333 a month or less from PAYE income tax. He made the announcement in his Mashujaa Day speech at Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret on Tuesday.
Ruto said the tax proposals would be taken to Parliament beginning next week. The figure is slightly lower than the Sh32,800 that Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi mentioned in Eldoret four days earlier. None of the changes apply until Parliament passes them.
The President also announced plans to exempt land transactions worth Sh1 million or less from stamp duty, with progressive rates for higher-value deals, and to remove the 25% import duty on mobile phones.
From 1 January 2027, the national internship programme would grow to take in 50,000 young Kenyans, each paid a monthly stipend, he said. He also pledged an extra Sh5 billion for the Hustler Fund before the end of the year.
Ruto paid tribute to freedom fighters including Koitalel Arap Samoei, Mekatilili wa Menza, Dedan Kimathi and the Kapenguria Six. The reports used for this story did not include a response from opposition leaders.
