COTU slams mobile tax, demands PAYE relief for workers

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Cotu Secretary General Francis Atwoli.[File, Standard]

The Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Kenya) has strongly opposed the proposed 25 percent excise duty on mobile phones while demanding urgent PAYE reliefs for Kenyan workers under the Finance Bill 2026.

In submissions to the National Assembly, COTU warned that workers are already struggling under the weight of rising living costs, inflation, and multiple statutory deductions, arguing that additional taxes would further weaken household incomes and economic productivity.

COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli said Kenyan workers have become overburdened by taxation despite stagnant wages and increasing economic pressure.