Four proposals put tax relief and youth work at the centre of Ruto’s Mashujaa Day address
President William Ruto used Kenya’s 63rd Mashujaa Day celebrations in Eldoret on 20 October to set out proposed tax changes, a lower-cost route to small land transfers and an expansion of paid internships. The measures were presented as plans rather than changes already in force. Ruto said the National Treasury would take proposals to Parliament the following week, and they would still require legislative, fiscal and administrative processes before implementation.
The proposed personal income tax exemption would apply to workers earning KSh32,333 or less a month under Pay As You Earn (PAYE). The existing exempt band was described as covering income up to KSh24,000. The proposal therefore points to a higher threshold, but the final rules and the way it would interact with other tax bands remain to be determined. Any effect on take-home pay depends on approval and implementation.
A second proposal would remove stamp duty on land transactions valued at KSh1 million or less and introduce progressive rates for higher-value transactions. The stated aim is to reduce the cost of acquiring or transferring land, particularly for people making lower-value purchases. The address did not establish what savings an individual buyer would receive; that would depend on the final scope, rates and transaction rules.
Ruto also proposed removing the 25 per cent import duty on mobile phones, subject to legal and customs processes. He framed phones as tools for education, business, banking and employment, not simply consumer goods. But a change to import duty would not by itself guarantee a particular reduction in retail prices: the eventual effect would depend on implementation and how any lower costs passed through the supply chain.
The employment measure would add 50,000 places to the National Internship Programme from 1 January 2027. The announced plan says participants would receive monthly stipends, with placements made through a digital, merit-based process. The government also intends to offer incentives to private employers to provide work experience. These are intended arrangements, not a current recruitment round or a guarantee that a particular applicant will secure a placement. Details such as eligibility, application dates, stipend levels and the employer incentives were not set out in the material available after the address.
The internship proposal addresses a familiar entry-level dilemma identified in the speech: graduates can struggle to obtain a first job without experience, while finding it difficult to gain that experience without employment. A paid placement could provide income as well as workplace exposure, but its reach and value will depend on how the programme is funded, designed and delivered. The announced total alone does not show how places will be distributed across sectors or regions.
Alongside the four proposals, Ruto said the government planned to add KSh5 billion to the Hustler Fund before the end of 2026. He described the credit programme as part of a wider economic agenda. The address also made broader claims about the fund and government performance; those claims are not independent measures of the effects of the new proposals. The proposed additional allocation should likewise be distinguished from money already disbursed or a newly available borrowing entitlement.
Together, the announcements cover household taxation, costs associated with land, access to phones and early-career employment. They were made during a national holiday address in Uasin Gishu County, but the next substantive test is whether the relevant proposals are formally presented and what text Parliament considers. Until then, the PAYE threshold, land-duty change and import-duty removal remain proposals, while the internships and additional fund allocation remain announced plans rather than completed outcomes.
