The proposed Kiambu County Finance Bill, 2026 has set out a wide range of fees and charges for county services, covering everything from trading premises, fire and rescue services and impounding of vehicles to tourism, fisheries, weighing equipment, betting and gaming, registration of self-help groups and cooperative society audits.
The charges are contained in the First Schedule of the Bill, and are intended to provide the rates payable for various services and regulatory functions administered by the county government.
The proposed schedule places different charges on businesses and individuals depending on the nature, size and scale of their operations.
General County Charges
The First Schedule provides fees for various administrative services offered by the county government.
Among the listed services are applications for new plots and stalls, sale of market plans, searches for lost documents, issuance of certified duplicate documents, reopening of county government houses and stalls and certification of county documents or extracts of minutes.
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Market plan | Sh500 |
| Search for lost documents | Sh500 |
| Certified duplicate document | Sh1,000 |
| Reopening a county government house or stall | Sh500 |
The charges form part of the county’s broader framework for raising revenue from services provided to residents, traders and businesses.
Fire and Rescue Services
A substantial section of the schedule deals with fire and rescue services, introducing charges for inspections, emergency response, equipment and training.
The Bill proposes a Sh6,500 fee for inspection and hydraulic testing of dry and wet risers, while pumping out flooded water would attract Sh1,500 per hour.
Inspection of fire extinguishers, excluding refilling, is listed at Sh500 per unit, while hiring a fire ladder would cost Sh2,200 per day.
Refilling a breathing apparatus is proposed at Sh2,000 per cylinder.
The county also proposes charges for the supply and delivery of water by tankers, with the fees varying according to tanker capacity and distance.
Fire officers attending incidents would also attract hourly charges, while fire engines and portable pumps would have separate turnout and standby fees.
A fire engine standby service outside the county but within the Nairobi metropolitan area is proposed at up to Sh25,000, while responding to a fire drill is listed at Sh15,000 per instance.
The schedule further introduces charges for fire safety training, including specialised training for government and private institutions.
| Training Attachment Category | Fee |
|---|---|
| Three month firefighting training attachments (County and government institution firefighters) | Sh100,000 |
| Three month firefighting training attachments (Private institutions) | Sh150,000 |
Note: Training attachment fees are exclusive of accommodation and meals.
Impounding and Demurrage
The bill also provides charges for impounding and demurrage involving animals, vehicles and other items.
The proposed schedule includes charges for impounded bicycles, wheelbarrows, donkey carts and handcarts, as well as vehicles ranging from vans and pickups to trucks and buses.
A particularly significant charge is the proposed Sh50,000 towing fee for illegally placed containers.
The Bill also provides charges for obstruction by tuk tuks and for picking up or dropping passengers at undesignated areas.
Demurrage charges would also apply to stray animals, vehicles and other impounded items on a daily basis.
| Impounded Item | Daily Demurrage Fee |
|---|---|
| Trucks and buses | Sh3,000 |
| Saloon cars or 14 seater matatus | Sh1,000 |
| Other items (market produce and hawker wares) | Sh500 |
Tourism and Fourteen Falls
The county has also proposed charges for entry and parking at county tourist sites and sanctuaries.
The schedule specifically provides charges for Fourteen Falls Sanctuary, including entry fees for citizens, school parties and children.
Camping at the site is proposed at Sh300 per person per day.
There are also separate charges for parking different categories of vehicles and fees for activities such as commercial video shooting and photography.
The schedule therefore seeks to generate revenue from tourism related activities while providing a formal fee structure for access and commercial use of county tourist facilities.
Fisheries
The county proposes a range of licences and permits for activities involving fishery resources.
These include trout and other fishing licences, annual fish hatchery licences, fish feed manufacturers’ licences, fish movement permits and fish traders’ licences.
The proposed schedule differentiates between fish traders operating in rural and urban areas and also provides for live fish movement permits.
There are additional charges for registration of sport fishing clubs and for fishermen operating with or without vessels.
For fish movement, the charges vary depending on the size of the vehicle used to transport the fish, with vehicles exceeding three tonnes attracting a proposed Sh2,000 fee.
Weights and Measures
Another significant component is on weights and measures, which provides initial verification and reverification charges for different weighing and measuring instruments.
The fees vary according to the type and capacity of equipment.
For larger weighing instruments, the proposed initial verification charges rise with capacity, reaching Sh10,000 for equipment exceeding five tonnes but not exceeding 20 tonnes.
For equipment exceeding 20 tonnes, the schedule provides for a charge of Sh400 for every additional tonne.
The Bill also provides separate charges for electronic and non electronic instruments and miscellaneous services such as adjustment of loose poises and balancing of weighing equipment.
Betting, Lotteries and Gaming
The proposed charges cover betting, lotteries, gaming, prize competitions and amusement machines.
The schedule provides separate categories for application fees, licence fees, annual fees, premises licences, renewal fees, investigation fees and transfer fees.
For casinos, the proposed schedule contains separate charges relating to premises and other licensing requirements.
Prize competitions held within the county for three months would attract a charge equivalent to 6 per cent of the total budget, according to the schedule.
Amusement machines would also attract per machine charges.
The Bill further sets different fees for lotteries conducted for specific charitable purposes and those conducted for various charitable purposes, alongside charges for promoters of prize competitions and lotteries.
Self-help Groups and Day-care Centres
The proposed charges covers registration of community based organisations and self help groups.
Registration of a community based organisation is proposed at Sh2,500, with annual renewal at Sh1,000.
Registration of a self help group would cost Sh2,000, while annual renewal would attract Sh1,000.
A penalty of Sh500 is proposed for failure to renew certificates for community based organisations and self help groups annually.
The Bill also proposes Sh5,000 for registration of home based day care centres.
For private pre primary day care centres, charges would depend on the number of children:
| Day-Care Centre Capacity | Registration Fee |
|---|---|
| Up to 299 children | Sh5,500 |
| 300 to 499 children | Sh6,500 |
| More than 500 children | Sh7,500 |
Cooperative Societies to Pay Audit Fees Based on Turnover
The final section of the First Schedule, introduces a graduated audit fee structure for cooperative societies.
The proposed fees are linked directly to the turnover of the society.
| Annual turnover | Proposed audit fee |
|---|---|
| Sh0–Sh300,000 | Sh10,000 |
| Sh300,001–Sh500,000 | Sh15,000 |
| Sh500,001–Sh1 million | Sh25,000 |
| Sh1,000,001–Sh2 million | Sh30,000 |
| Above Sh2 million | Sh35,000 |
This means cooperative societies with turnover above Sh2 million would fall into the highest audit fee bracket of Sh35,000, while those with turnover of up to Sh300,000 would pay Sh10,000.
The proposed structure effectively creates five turnover bands, with the audit fee increasing as the financial size of the cooperative society rises.
Taken together, the First Schedule represents a broad framework of proposed charges covering businesses, traders, transport operators, tourism facilities, fisheries, professional services, fire safety, gaming enterprises, community organisations, childcare facilities and cooperative societies.
The proposals will form part of the consideration of the Finance Bill before its final enactment, with public participation providing an opportunity for residents, businesses, organisations and other stakeholders to give their views on the proposed charges.
