- Top among the new levies will see offloading of different produce in Nairobi for the first time attract a fee.
- New charges will also be levied for market stalls in Karindini and Westlands.
Image: HANDOUT
Offloading fresh produce in Nairobi will attract new charges in a proposed law that will raise the cost of living in the city.
That is one among a raft of proposed levies contained in the Nairobi City County Finance Bill, 2021.
The bill proposes several charges as part of measures aimed at raising Sh19.8 billion own-source revenue target for the financial year ending June 30, 2022.
However, these are just proposals subject to public participation and input by the Nairobi county assembly .
According to the Nairobi County Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee chairperson Robert Mbatia, the bill already had its first reading on Friday.
Top among the new levies will see offloading of different produce in Nairobi for the first time attract a fee.
Miraa traders will be required to pay Sh100 for a 1kg bag , Sh500 per box for 101-500kg and Sh1000 for bags above 500kg.
For potatoes, the charges will be Sh50 per bag while macadamia and French beans traders will have to pay Sh1,000 per tonne.
Flowers per lorry will attract an offloading fee of Sh3,000 while imported fish will cost Sh30 per box.
Avocados, tomatoes, groundnuts and thorn melon will be charged between Sh50 and Sh1,500 depending on the vehicle size and per kilo.
City Hall has proposed that public health facilities within the city charge Sh3,000 for Covid-19 PCR testing.
New charges will also be levied for market stalls in Karindini and Westlands.
For stalls, food courts and courtyards at Karindini market, traders will be charged Sh60 to occupy the ground floor and Sh54 for the first floor.
For the open food court, Sh30 will be charged for the courtyard, Sh45 to occupy the ground floor and Sh40 for the first floor.
In Westlands market, eateries on the ground floor will be charged Sh70, Sh58 for the first floor, Sh58 second floor and Sh36 to occupy the third floor.
Butcheries and salons with roller shutter doors on the ground floor will be charged Sh100, first floor Sh80, second floor Sh64 and third floor Sh50.
For open curios slots and half-height portion stalls, traders on the ground floor will be charged Sh50 while those on the first, second and third floors will be charged Sh40, Sh32 and Sh26 respectively.
Under public health services, the county government has introduced new payment for food laboratory tests ranging between Sh500 and Sh2,500 depending on what is being tested.
For glucose content Sh 500 will be paid, alcoholic content Sh1,500, yeast and moulds Sh700, aflatoxin test Sh3,500 , aflatoxin (B1) Sh3,500 and mercury Sh700.
To test for vibrio cholera, plate count, salmonella, listeria and staphylococci costs Sh1,000.
New charges have also been proposed for cleaning and disinfection companies in Nairobi who will have to pay Sh20,000.
To sell water from private boreholes one will be charged Sh10,000 while the same amount will be charged to private water bowsers.
Under waste management services, companies will be required to pay a fee of Sh10,0000 while waste handlers will part with Sh1,000.
Private incinerators will be charged Sh10,000 for inspection.
To handle waste management services for public institutions Sh30 will be paid while Sh50 will be for private institutions.
The bill also proposes new charges for inspection of private health centres and nursing homes, where Sh20,000 will be paid while Sh15,000 will be charged for medical centres.
For Level 4, 5 and 6 hospitals, the inspection charge has been increased to Sh30,000 from Sh10,000.
Private clinics will pay Sh10,000 while Sh10,000 will be the annual inspection fee for private health facilities.
Health Inspection fees for small, medium and large institutions will be charged Sh10,000, Sh20,000 and Sh30,000 respectively.
For private ambulances services, Sh10,000 will be paid.
The same amount will be paid for annual inspection of private ambulances per vehicle.
City Hall has also proposed new charges at Pumwani Maternity Hospital where consultation per visit will be charged Sh200.
For family planning, Norplant insertion and removal is Sh600 and Sh800 respectively.
For Oral contraception pills, women will be charged Sh100 per pack, while IUD insertion and removal will cost Sh200.
Anti-D injection will be charged Sh5,500 while Depo Provera (DMPA) injection will cost Sh100.
For occupation certificates for units between 11-30, the bill has proposed a fee of Sh20,000 while those above 31 will pay Sh50,000.
Factories, malls and supermarkets will pay at least Sh50,000 for the occupation certificate.
Members of the public seeking to put up temporary bathrooms, toilets or changing rooms will be required to pay Sh10,000, Sh20,000 and Sh50,000 for 1-10 units, 11-30 units and 31 and above units respectively.
Temporary occupancy at construction sites will cost Sh50,000 while treatment plants in factories or commercial buildings will be charged Sh100,000.
Online food services will be required to pay for certificates costing Sh10,000.
Cereal shops have also not been spared as owners will be required to pay Sh10,000 while snacks and soft drinks sellers will part with Sh7,000.
Small traders transporting building materials have also been introduced to monthly new charges.
A fee of Sh48,000 is for building materials up to seven tons, Sh72,000 between 7-10 tons, Sh96,000 between 10-15 tomes and Sh144,000 above 15 tons.
Charges have also been imposed in the just-renovated Macmillan, Kaloleni, Eastlands and Waithala libraries.
The membership fee for adults has been reduced to Sh500 and juniors to Sh100 from the current Sh1,000 and Sh100 respectively.
For lending books per 14 days, a fee of Sh20 will be charged for adults and Sh5 for children.
A lending overdue fine of Sh10 will be charged daily for both adults and children.
Adults will be charged Sh20 as entry free to the libraries while children will access free of charge.
Members of the public who wish to shoot videos in the libraries will have to pay City Hall Sh25,000 for Kenyan citizens while for non-citizens will pay Sh60,000.
For wedding and reception ceremonies in the libraries, City Hall will charge Sh10,000 and Sh5,000 respectively.
Photography services in the libraries will be charged according to the number of people and per hour ranging from Sh500 to Sh5,000.
Music videos, mMeeting terraces, lectures, book launch, live coverage in the libraries will also be charged depending on the number of people and hours ranging from Sh1,500 to Sh20,280.
Edited by Henry Makori