Kenya’s new tax proposals threaten M-KOPA, Sun King phone assembly plants

Kenya’s Finance Bill 2026 has proposed a series of tax changes that could raise the cost of locally assembled smartphones while making imported handsets cheaper, threatening the viability of local plants built by M-KOPA and Sun King.

The Bill removes the zero-rated VAT status enjoyed by locally assembled phones, imposes a 25% excise duty on domestically manufactured devices, and exempts…