Kumbe CS Mbadi said one thing in February but did a complete U-turn come June—and now salaried Kenyans are furious! The man promised to eliminate PAYE for workers earning Ksh30,000 and below, but when the Finance Bill 2026 landed, the promise vanished like morning dew.

The Promise That Disappeared Into Thin Air

Back in February, CS Mbadi was out here making big moves, confidence at 100%. He swore blind that low-income earners would get a reprieve, telling anyone who'd listen that workers earning Ksh30,000 and below would pay zero PAYE. Aki, he even said "I don't think there is any MP who will oppose that." Big man energy, right? Wrong.

Fast forward to May, and salaried workers are checking the Finance Bill 2026 with a magnifying glass, looking for their promised relief—only to find absolutely nothing. Zip. Nada. The PAYE reform that was supposed to ease the burden on millions of Kenyans simply got ghosted. Faith Odhiambo, the former Law Society of Kenya President, didn't mince words: she called it "not a minor omission" and demanded answers. Sawa sawa, but how does the CS go from that confident to complete silence?

It's Deeper Than Just One Promise

This isn't just about one broken promise though, bana. The 2026 Finance Bill is packed with moves that'll make regular Kenyans' pockets even lighter. A 25 percent excise duty on mobile phones? Lakini, phones aren't luxury items anymore—they're how we do banking, communicate with family, and run businesses. That tax is going to hurt proper.

Then there's the sneaky removal of VAT exemptions on mobile money transfers. Kumbe, the government wants to tax us for literally moving our own money around? Digital financial services are already expensive for millions of Kenyans struggling to make ends meet. And they're also jacking up residential rental income tax from 7.5 percent to 10 percent. Wazimu! It feels like every corner of the budget was designed to squeeze more shillings out of our pockets while the original relief promise gets buried in some filing cabinet.

🗣️ What Kenya Is Saying

"We were waiting for this PAYE reduction to actually breathe, lakini the CS played us for fools," said one frustrated civil servant on social media. "How can you make such a public promise and then act like it never happened?"

"They want to tax our phones, tax our money transfers, and now PAYE relief is gone too," another Kenyan posted. "This government is seriously out of touch with what we're going through."

Why This Matters Right Now

Salaried workers are already stretched thin with rising cost of living. Promises to reduce their tax burden were supposed to be relief—actual, tangible help. Instead, they got a magic act where the relief disappeared and new taxes appeared. Si uone the betrayal?

The Jukwaa Take: When a CS goes on record saying workers earning Ksh30,000 and below shouldn't pay PAYE, then quietly removes that from the budget, Kenyans deserve more than silence—they deserve an actual explanation.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke