In the Finance Bill 2025, now awaiting presidential assent, the National Treasury largely refrained from introducing new tax proposals. Seemingly chastened by last year’s public outcry, it appears to have taken heed of the protests led by young Kenyans—predominantly Gen Z—who condemned the punitive taxation measures contained in the Finance Bill 2024.

But perhaps the most significant lesson the Treasury has drawn is the value of fragmentation. Rather than front-loading all contentious measures into a single Finance Bill, it is now increasingly splitting them across separate amendments to various Acts—timed strategically throughout the year to avoid the intense scrutiny the Finance Bill typically attracts.