Clerk of National Assembly.Samuel Njoroge has revealed that Parliament will have to approve the tax measures proposed by the East African Community (EAC) Council of Ministers before their implementation in Kenya.
According to Njoroge, the taxation rates, especially import duties are at present determined within the framework of the East African Community through the East African Customs Management Act. Nonetheless, he insisted that any decisions affecting the taxpayers in Kenya should be sanctioned by the National Assembly.
He maintained that no taxation measure decided by personnel who are not elected should be implemented without the intervention of the parliament, and that the constitutional function of parliament to protect the public interest was highlighted.
Besides, Njoroge cited the November 2025 judgment by the High Court which among other things questioned the wisdom of the Cabinet ministers from the rest of EAC Partner States deciding on import duties which have direct effect on the Kenyan citizens.
The clerk was addressing the Members of Parliament at the start of the 2026 Legislative Retreat for Members of the National Assembly in Naivasha.
Such an initiative is likely to affect Kenyas interaction within the EAC customs regime, especially the mode of adoption and enforcement of regional tax decisions locally, as Parliament