President Ruto refers Conflict of Interest Bill back to Parliament, assents to Transformer tax cut

In his commitment to tackling corruption, accountable leadership and integrity in public service, the President has been urging Parliament to pass the Conflict of Interest Bill without delay. He, however, made it clear that he would veto any version of the Bill that failed to set a high standard for accountability, integrity, and anti-corruption measures.

While the Bill as presented largely addresses the subject of conflict of interest, the President noted the need for further improvements to strengthen its provisions on transparency and enforcement to align it with the constitutional values of integrity and good governance.

Consequently, in accordance with Article 115 of the Constitution, President Ruto has referred the Bill back to Parliament, with a memorandum, for reconsideration.

At the same time, the President assented to the Excise Duty (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which amends the Excise Duty Act, CAP 472, to remove the 25% duty on imported fully assembled electric transformers and their parts.

This measure is expected to lower electricity connection costs for consumers by reducing the price of transformers, as every connection relies on transformer infrastructure. It will also help bring down electricity tariffs by cutting transformer replacement costs.

Additionally, it will enable the Kenya Power and Lighting Company to procure adequate transformers within its current budget, supporting a consistent power supply and minimising disruptions.