HIGHLIGHTS OF THE STATUTE LAW (MISCELLANEOUS AMENDMENT) ACT, 2024

The Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendment) Act, 2024 come into force after President William Ruto signed it into law on 24^th April 2024. The Act amends about 16 Acts of Parliament. Below are some key amendments introduced by the new Act:

1. The Traffic Act which has been amended to incorporate the use of technology in the management of minor traffic offences.
2. The Value Added Tax Act which has been amended to remove denatured ethanol from the list of VAT-exempt supplies. This creates an economic safety net and competitive edge for local denatured ethanol manufacturers, particularly millers and sugar manufacturers, who face challenges with cheaper imports. Another amendment to the VAT act is the exemption of the supply of gas meters from VAT to enhance access to clean energy by low-income households.
3. The Industrial Training Act has been amended to align the remittance date of the training levy with PAYE remittance to the Kenya Revenue Authority with the aim of boosting employer compliance.
4. The Oaths and Statutory Declarations Act has been amended to replace the Registrar of the High Court with the Chief Registrar of the Judiciary as the custodian of the roll of commissioners and give powers to administer oaths to the registrar and deputy registrar of superior and subordinate courts.
5. The Advocates Act has been amended to replace the Registrar of the High Court with the Chief Registrar of the Judiciary as well as give the Council of the Law Society of Kenya additional powers to make rules on the admission of advocates to the Bar.
6. The Notaries Public Act has been amended to replace the Registrar of the High Court with the Chief Registrar of the Judiciary.
7. The Sexual Offences Act has been amended for the Registrar of the High Court to be replaced by the Chief Registrar of the Judiciary as the person responsible for keeping and maintaining the register of convicted sexual offenders.
8. The Trustee (Perpetual Succession) Act has been amended to assign the Registrar of Companies the responsibility for trust registration, issuing certificates of incorporation, maintaining trust registers and creating regulations. This aims to streamline trust registration procedures. And finally,
9. The Public Finance Management Act has been amended to clarify that the Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury must submit the Finance Bill to the National Assembly by April 30 in line with the Act, the National Assembly Standing Orders and Court rulings.

We therefore wait for the relevant stakeholders to operationalize and actualize these new provisions of the Acts

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