Every Time You Pay Tax, a Politician Buys a New Car

Every day, Kenyans are taxed — not just on income, but on everything from bread to mobile money, electricity, and fuel. Every transaction, no matter how small, contributes to the billions the government collects in revenue. Yet, despite this heavy tax burden, the return on investment for the ordinary mwananchi remains painfully low.

While citizens tighten their belts, their elected leaders appear to be living in a different reality altogether — one of luxury vehicles, foreign trips, fully furnished offices, and bloated allowances. It is not just the optics of power; it is the lived experience of inequality, where a struggling taxpayer watches a convoy of tinted V8s drive past potholes to reach a hospital that has no gloves.

In recent years, successive Auditor General reports have revealed a worrying trend: public money is frequently spent on non-priority items. Car grants for MPs continue to be issued without hesitation. County governments regularly procure high-end vehicles, even where basic services are crumbling. The message being sent is clear — comfort at the top comes first.

This culture of spending is not only insensitive, but it is unsustainable. Kenya is facing a massive debt burden, an unemployment crisis, and a healthcare system stretched to the brink. Teachers are underpaid. Doctors are overworked. Families are skipping meals. Yet the appetite for luxury within government remains unchecked.

The frustration among citizens is not just about leadership excess — it’s about betrayal. The social contract between taxpayer and government is that in return for taxes, there will be services: working schools, affordable hospitals, clean water, reliable roads. Instead, what many see is a widening gap between those who lead and those who are led.

This is not a call for incitement — it is a call for responsibility. Leadership must reflect the times. If Kenyans are being asked to make sacrifices through new taxes and higher costs, then elected officials must lead by example. Luxury vehicles, five-star retreats, and inflated allowances cannot be the priority when classrooms are collapsing and patients are being turned away.

Accountability starts with transparency. Citizens have the right to know how every shilling is spent, especially in a country where so many are giving more and receiving less. It’s time to audit our values as a nation and decide whether public service still means service to the people, or whether it has become a gateway to unchecked privilege.

Every time a tax is paid, a promise is made. And every time that money is wasted on another car, that promise is broken.

If this country is going to rebuild trust between its citizens and its institutions, it must start with putting the needs of the people before the wants of power.