• Lusaka says the move will target weekends and public holidays to cushion traders who are undergoing hard economic times and paying hefty taxes.
• The Senate Speaker also said he will bring back women empowerment funds.
Image: JOHN NALIANYA
Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka has promised to introduce tax holidays for traders in Bungoma, if elected governor.
Lusaka said the move will target weekends and public holidays to cushion traders who are undergoing hard economic times and paying hefty taxes.
He spoke to the press at IEBC offices in Bungoma after he was cleared to run for the governor.
"Most traders are undergoing harsh economic times, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic. We must cushion them from heavy taxes,"Lusaka said.
"I want to assure all traders in Bungoma that my administration will allow them to carry out their small businesses without paying taxes on weekends."
He said his administration will also empower women and youth through trade loans, which he had introduced during his first term as governor but were scrapped by the current administration.
The Senate Speaker said he will also bring back women empowerment funds.
“We used to give women trade loans to start businesses that helped sustain and improve their lives. We will also ensure youths are properly empowered by making sure the 30 per cent tender allocation to youths is fully implemented," Lusaka said.
He said the role of devolution is to uplift the people of Bungoma county through jobs.
“If elected, we will ensure projects are given to local contractors and the youth because that is what devolution is about,” Lusaka said.
He also promised to repair and instal street lights in all markets in Bungoma to ensure the county becomes a 24-hours economy.
Ford Kenya leader and Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang'ula lauded Lusaka for accepting to be the party's governor candidate.
He said Kenya Kwanza Alliance will drum up support for Lusaka to ensure he recaptures the seat in the August polls.
“Let's all rally behind Speaker Lusaka and give him moral support as he starts his campaigns,” Wetang'ula urged Bungoma residents.
The senator said Lusaka is popular and he will give him all the support to ensure he becomes the next Bungoma governor.
Lusaka is seeking to unseat Governor Wycliffe Wangamati, who is contesting on the DAP-K party ticket.
Lusaka was recently appointed by Deputy President William Ruto as the Kenya Kwanza coordinator in the Western region.
Edited by A.N