Kenyans can now breathe a sigh of relief after Parliament rejected a proposal in the Finance Bill 2025 that would have given the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) powers to access personal financial records without court approval.
The National Assembly’s Finance and National Planning Committee refused to amend Clause 52 of the bill, which sought to repeal a section of the Tax Procedures Act.
Had it passed, the clause would have allowed the tax agency access to sensitive data like bank and mobile money transactions without judicial oversight.
The committee ruled that the clause violated constitutional provisions on privacy, noting it fell short of the standards set by Article 31 of the Constitution and the Data Protection Act.
Chairperson Kuria Kimani said current laws already allow KRA to obtain data — but only with a court-issued warrant, ensuring transparency and accountability.
KRA had argued the powers were necessary to track transactions and curb tax evasion as it seeks to raise Ksh.2.76 trillion in revenue to support the upcoming Ksh.4.3 trillion budget.