Increasing charges in the counties will stifle trade
Tomatoes on display at Muthurwa Market Nairobi on November 09, 2020. Tomatoes are among agricultural produce which could soon be subjected to offloading fees if the Nairobi City County Finance Bill, 2020 becomes law.
Before the coronavirus broke out, businesses were struggling under the weight of increased cost of operation.
The new proposals are set to cause additional strain to an already grim situation in the aftermath of the pandemic.
Devolution heralded a new era for the economy as some government functions were decentralised. As a result, many parts of the country opened up, leading to increased trade, job creation and wealth.
These benefits have, however, come at a cost to many businesses. Understandably, since counties could not entirely depend on budgetary allocation from the national government, they had to create their own sources of revenue.
