u/gullydon

Someone asked me years ago, "have you ever noticed during Moi days, no school without a playground existed?" He was reacting to these schools that popped up in flats with no playgrounds. I had no data to back up his claim, but today, it came into my mind.

One of these popped up in a neighbourhood I know. A 5-floors flat with single rooms converted into classrooms with shared toilets on each floor. Kitchen and admin occupied the ground floor. School fees was 10k per child, but increased later (not sure by how much). The school owner made some good money and rented an extra flat and also built a junior high in another plot in the same area.

Now the initial flat I mentioned was repurposed this year to a dormitory. The school became a mixed day-boarding school. The problem I find is the dormitory location. Near one of the neighbourhood streets. Loud motorcycles pass there at night, drinking dens not far from there (and loud banging on mabati walls during football matches), loud churches, especially on night vigil (kesha) days and Sundays.

I enquired and each parent is paying 40k as fees for each boarding student!

On weekends, boarding students are herded to the junior secondary section where they stay in class or idle. They are herded back into the dormitory in the evening.

Did our education standards deteriorate?

I met a former coworker today for lunch at Nairobi CBD. He tells me he moved into an apartment with very spacious bedsitters where the caretaker is serious about noise. Now, it is normal for tenants to move out, and new ones come in without the memo about the noise policy.

Now, since he is mostly indoors, he says loud music/bass is a mood killer and hurts his ears. And since he is aware of the no noise policy, he has made the caretaker talk to about six new tenants this year alone about it, and 4 of them were on the floor below him. Some even had their lights switched off at the main metre on ground floor to comply.

There is a recent one, same floor below him, who has ignored his request and the caretaker's and he tells me he called the caretaker who was away this week, and the caretaker has threatened to kick the new tenant out. He says he feels like an apartment 'snitch'. Do you agree?

I play https://crazyshooters.com/ and https://crazyshooters2.com/ a lot! But the games became laggy since Firefox 148 and my ping spikes up. Other browsers play fine. I am on Linux Mint if that helps. (147 and below run fine). Can any of you reproduce the same issue?

(I should mention the issue also occurs on a new profile with ublock origin only. I tried many flag changes while trying to troubleshoot with AI support, but none worked or the lagging became worse.)

I play https://crazyshooters.com/ and https://crazyshooters2.com/ a lot! But the game became laggy since Firefox 148 and my ping spikes up. Other browsers play fine. I am on Linux Mint if that helps.

I play Crazy Shooters and Crazy Shooters 2 a lot on my PC. But in recent FF versions, going back like 2 months, the games lag a lot, even on a new Firefox profile. The game is smooth on Brave browser. Any ideas on what could be causing this?

Firefox details: https://pastebin.com/H4WTBjsk
PC details: https://pastebin.com/36uhMzhX

Source: This Report summarised by Gemini AI.

1. Cost of Living and Common Goods (VAT & Excise Duty)

More Expensive Basic Items: Several items that were previously untaxed (exempt) will now have a 10% to 25% extra tax (Excise Duty) added to them. This includes everyday plastic containers (like plastic bottles and containers), locally manufactured sweets/confectionery, and gummed or self-adhesive papers. Expect the retail prices of these items to go up.

Juices and Drinks: The tax on fruit and vegetable juices containing added sugar will jump from KES 14.14 per litre to KES 20 per litre, which will likely make packaged juices costlier at the shop.

"Mitumba" (Worn Clothes): Worn clothing and articles are being made "VAT Exempt". While this sounds like a tax break, it actually means t.raders can no longer claim back the VAT they pay on their business expenses. In the business world, this usually forces t.raders to increase prices to cover their hidden costs.

2. Transport and the Green Economy

Electric Transport Hits a Snag: In past years, the government pushed for "green energy" by making electric vehicles tax-free. However, the new Bill proposes to add the standard 16% VAT to electric motorcycles, electric bicycles, and electric buses. This amendment will significantly increase the cost of buying boda bodas or commuting via electric buses.

3. Mobile Money and Digital Banking

Taxing Digital & Card Payments: The government is expanding its tax net to include digital platforms and financial services. Additionally, card payment fees (such as interchange and merchant service fees when you swipe your card at a supermarket) will now face a withholding tax. While banks and card companies pay this directly, they are highly likely to pass these extra costs down to consumers through higher transaction fees.

4. Salaries and Personal Taxes (PAYE)

Broken Promise on Lower Taxes: The government previously hinted at expanding tax bands to lower the salary tax burden for low-income earners. Crucially, this relief is missing from the 2026 Bill, meaning your monthly income tax deduction (PAYE) will remain just as high.

Strict Rules on Employee Gratuities: If you receive a work gratuity (a bonus or payout for service) and want it to be tax-exempt by putting it into a registered pension scheme, the Bill now mandates that you must have served on a continuous contract for at least three years.

Shorter Deadlines to File Returns: The ultimate deadline to file your annual KRA tax returns is being shortened from six months to four months after the year ends (meaning you must file by April 30th instead of June 30th). If you file a "Nil" return, you must do it within one month (by January 31st).

5. Stricter Rules and High Penalties for Mistakes

Heavy Fines for Tech Mishaps: If you run a small business or make a mistake/delay while making an electronic tax payment, the penalties are getting incredibly harsh. Individual taxpayers will face a minimum fine of KES 10,000, while businesses could be fined KES 100,000 or twice the tax due (whichever is higher) for non-compliance with electronic tax systems.

Spying via Data: The KRA is legally empowering itself to automatically calculate and send you a tax bill using "third-party data" from your bank accounts, your employer, or mobile money systems, even if you didn't declare it yourself.

6. The Silver Linings (Good News)

Better Duty-Free Shopping: If you travel outside Kenya, the value of personal goods you can bring back into the country without paying any VAT is being massively increased from USD 300 (~KES 39,000) to USD 2,000 (~KES 260,000). This will make returning through airport customs much smoother and cheaper.

Tax Amnesty Extension: If you have unpaid taxes from previous years, the window to get your penalties and interest forgiven (tax amnesty) is being extended, giving individuals a cleaner path to get right with KRA without being crushed by old interest penalties.