Bill outlines burial fees for public yards

A Bill has proposed new graveyard charges for public cemeteries.

The Finance Bill 2014, which is undergoing public debate, clarifies that the fees will apply only in public cemeteries.

A previous Finance Act, which was nullified, imposed permit fees for digging graves but did not specify whether the charges applied to both public and private burial sites.

As a result, the public rejected the law and challenged it in court, leading to its nullification.

In the new Bill, the levies have been categorised for permanent and temporary graves.

The county’s residents will pay Sh10,000 for a permanent grave, while non-citizens will pay Sh25,000, if the Bill is adopted.

To bury an adult in a temporary grave will cost Sh3,000 in urban areas and Sh1,000 in rural areas. For a child, it will cost Sh1,000 and Sh500, respectively. Grave re-opening or exhumation will cost Sh15,000 while Sh3,000 will be charged for maintenance of a permanent grave.

REVENUE SUPPLEMENT
Governor William Kabogo’s administration hopes the Bill will sail through to authorise it to collect revenue to supplement its Sh10 billion budget, which has a deficit on about Sh4 billion.

The county has been without a Finance Act after traders successfully challenged the 2013 law in court.

The ongoing process has received opposition from the residents, who have been disrupting the public hearings.

On Tuesday, the county assembly rejected a motion that had sought to reduce the Bill’s publication period from 14 days to four days.

Members said the reduction would deny the public enough time to scrutinise it.

If enacted, professional service givers i.e legal, financial management, architecture, surveying, accountancy and data processing will pay for annual licenses depending on the number of practitioners in firm.

Firms with over 10 practitioners will pay between Sh76, 500 and 108, 000, 3-10 practitioners to pay Sh38-250-Sh54, 000 and those with less than 3 practitioners will pay Sh17, 000-Sh24, 000.

The bill has proposed a daily charges of Sh30 on hawkers operating outside main towns and a Sh60 daily parking fee for small cars.

Traders will pay licensees depending on business sizes and location.

FRESH CHARGES
Hypermarkets will pay between Sh65, 000 and Sh75, 000 while retail stores and shops between Sh17, 000 and 24, 000 per year.

Small traders and shops will pay between Sh4, 250 and Sh6, 000.

Hotel/lodging houses with over 100 rooms will pay between Sh85, 000 and Sh120, 000 while those with at least 41 rooms will pay from Sh59, 500 and Sh84, 000.

Bars with at least 30 costumers will cost Sh25, 500 and Sh36, 000 while those with 10-30 costumers will pay from Sh12, 750 to Sh18, 000.

To have illegal structures demolished, the cost will be per hour depending on the nature of the stature.

A single dwelling structure will cost Sh20, 000 per hour, flats Sh40, 000, commercial Sh50, 000 and Sh15, 000 for temporary structures.

Erecting a four side clock on the street will cost Sh30, 00m annually while a two side clock will cost Sh20, 000.

To have a banner on a your private property for two weeks will cost you Sh10, 400 while on public space will for the same period will cost Sh30, 800.

Collection of large carcass such as cows and donkeys for disposal will cost Sh4, 000 per trip irrespective of the number carcasses and Sh400 for small carcass.

Silt and industrial waste have accumulated on landing sites, including established piers.