Eldoret — President William Ruto on Tuesday announced that the National Treasury has developed proposals to exempt land and property transactions valued at Ksh1 million or less from stamp duty, while introducing progressive rates for higher-value deals.
Speaking during the 63rd Mashujaa Day celebrations at Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret, Ruto said the measure is intended to lower the cost of acquiring and transferring land, especially for ordinary Kenyans and those at the bottom of the income pyramid. “This will help reduce the cost of acquiring and transferring land, especially for citizens at the bottom of the pyramid, and strengthen every Kenyan’s ability to own property,” he said.
The President directed the Treasury to table the proposals before Parliament within the next week for consideration by lawmakers. The exemption forms part of four measures he outlined to put more money in the pockets of hardworking Kenyans. The others include exempting workers earning Ksh32,333 or less per month from PAYE income tax, abolishing the 25 per cent import duty on mobile phones, and expanding the public service internship programme to 50,000 young people from January 2027.
Under current rules, stamp duty on land transfers stands at 4 per cent within municipalities and 2 per cent outside them. A buyer of a Ksh1 million plot in a municipality currently pays up to Ksh40,000 in stamp duty; outside municipalities the figure is Ksh20,000. The proposed exemption would eliminate that charge on qualifying low-value transactions, though other costs such as legal fees and county land rates would remain.
Ruto framed the proposals as a continuation of his administration’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, aimed at easing the cost of living and expanding opportunities for property ownership and digital access. The measures will require parliamentary approval before they can take effect.