Subject to the provisions of this Act or of any other written law, every instrument, unless it is written on duly stamped material, shall be duly stamped with the proper duty before the expiration of thirty days after it is first executed, or after it has been first received in Kenya in case it is first executed at any place out of Kenya, unless the opinion of a collector with respect to the amount of duty with which the instrument is chargeable has, before the expiration of that period, been required under section 17.

If the opinion of a Collector with respect to the amount of duty with which any instrument is chargeable has been required under section 17, the instrument shall be stamped in accordance with the assessment of the collector within twenty- one days of the date of the notice of the assessment.

Where in the Schedule or in any other written law it is specified that an instrument is to be stamped before execution, it shall be stamped before execution by any party thereto.

If any instrument which is chargeable with stamp duty is not duly stamped, the person or persons respectively specified in the Schedule or in any other written law as being liable for stamping shall be liable, or jointly and severally liable, as the case may be, to the collector for the payment of the specified duty.

If any instrument which is liable to stamp duty is not duly stamped, every person specified in the Schedule or in any other written law as being responsible for stamping shall also be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding two thousand shillings.

Where in the Schedule or in any other written law the responsibility for stamping is imposed upon more persons than one, every person on whom that responsibility is imposed may, if the instrument is not duly stamped, be proceeded against either civilly or criminally without reference to any civil liability of the parties inter se for the payment of the stamp duty.

Every instrument written upon stamped material shall be written in such manner, and every instrument partly or wholly written before being stamped shall be so stamped, that the stamp may appear on the face of the instrument, and cannot be used for or applied to any other instrument written upon the same piece of material.

If more than one instrument is written upon the same piece of material, every one of the instruments shall be separately and distinctly stamped with the duty with which it is chargeable.

An instrument containing or relating to several distinct matters shall be separately and distinctly charged, as if it were a separate instrument, with duty in respect of each of the matters.

An instrument made for any consideration in respect whereof it is chargeable with ad valorem duty, and also for any further or other valuable consideration or considerations, shall be separately and distinctly charged, as if it were a separate instrument, with duty in respect of each of the considerations.

The collector may require any person executing, or any person employed or being concerned in or about the preparation of any instrument, to give evidence on oath, or by statutory declaration, as to the fullness and truth of the facts and circumstances set forth; and for the purpose of taking that evidence the collector may summon any such person to appear before him, and the person so summoned shall be legally bound to appear and to answer such questions and to produce such documents as the collector may put to him or require to be produced relating to those facts and circumstances.

The Collector of Stamp Duties shall refer to the Chief Government Valuer or a registered and practicing valuer appointed by the Chief Government Valuer any conveyance or transfer on sale of any immovable property before or after registration of the relevant instruments in order to determine the true open market value of such property as at the date of the conveyance or transfer for purposes of ascertaining whether any additional stamp duty is payable.

The Collector shall immediately demand by written notice to the purchaser or transferee or his authorised agent the payment of any additional stamp duty that may become payable after the valuation has been effected under subsection (1), and such payment shall be made within twenty-one days from the date of posting of the notice.

The Collector shall cause caveats or restrictions, as the case may be, to be registered against the title of any immovable property immediately upon valuation under subsection (1) where additional stamp duty becomes due and payable.

The provisions of this section shall also apply to gifts inter vivos under section 52 (1) and to partitions under section 71 (1) and (2).

Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (1), where any instrument other than a bill of exchange or promissory note is charged with an ad valorem duty in respect of any money in any currency other than that of Kenya and a rate of exchange is prescribed by regulations made under this Act for that currency, then the stamp duty on that instrument shall be calculated according to the prescribed rate of exchange.

Where an instrument contains a statement of current rate of exchange, or average price, as the case may require, and is stamped in accordance with that statement it shall, so far as regards the subject matter of the statement, be deemed to be duly stamped, unless or until it is shown that the statement is untrue and that the instrument is in fact insufficiently stamped.

Where stamp duty is required or permitted by any written law to be denoted by an adhesive stamp, the stamp shall be cancelled in such manner as to render it incapable of being used again for any revenue purpose.

When two or more adhesive stamps are used to denote the stamp duty upon an instrument, each stamp shall be so cancelled.

Where an instrument, the stamp duty on which is required or permitted by any written law to be denoted by an adhesive stamp, is to be stamped before execution, or before issue, or before being parted with by the maker, or before the doing of any other act, the first person executing, or the person issuing, or the maker, or the person doing such other act, as the case may be, shall cancel the adhesive stamp before execution, or before issuing, or before parting with the instrument, or before doing that other act, as the case may be.

Where an instrument, the stamp duty on which is required or permitted by any written law to be denoted by an adhesive stamp, is to be stamped within a certain period after any event, the person affixing the adhesive stamp shall cancel it forthwith and before he parts with the instrument.

Subject to the provisions of sections 20, 21, 34 and 36, an instrument, the stamp duty on which is denoted by an adhesive stamp, shall not be deemed to have been duly stamped unless the stamp has been cancelled as required by this section.

The person required by the foregoing provisions of this section to cancel an adhesive stamp shall cancel it by writing on or across the stamp his name or initials or the name or initials of his firm with the true date of his so writing.

Any person who neglects or refuses duly and effectively to cancel an adhesive stamp in accordance with the provisions of this section shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding five thousand shillings.

The collector may require to be furnished with an abstract of the instrument, and also with such evidence as he may deem necessary in order to show to his satisfaction whether all the facts and circumstances affecting the liability of the instrument to duty, or the amount of duty chargeable thereon, are fully and truly set forth therein.

If the collector is of the opinion that the instrument is not chargeable with any duty it shall be stamped with a particular stamp denoting that it is not chargeable with any duty.

If the collector is of the opinion that the instrument is chargeable with duty he shall assess the duty with which it is in his opinion chargeable, and when the instrument is stamped in accordance with the assessment it shall be stamped with a particular stamp denoting that it is duly stamped.

Every instrument stamped with the particular stamp, denoting either that it is not chargeable with any duty or that it is duly stamped, shall be admissible in evidence and available for all purposes notwithstanding any objection relating to duty.

An instrument upon which the duty has been assessed by the collector shall not, if it is unstamped or insufficiently stamped, be stamped otherwise than in accordance with the assessment.

Nothing in this section shall extend to any instrument chargeable with ad valorem duty, and made as a security for money or stock without limit; or shall authorize the stamping after the execution thereof of any instrument which by law cannot be stamped after execution.

A statutory declaration made for the purpose of this section shall not be used against any person making it in any proceedings whatever, except in an inquiry as to the duty with which the instrument to which it relates is chargeable; and, if the declaration is true, every person by whom it is made shall, on payment of the duty chargeable upon the instrument to which it relates, be relieved from any fine or disability to which he may be liable by reason of the omission to state truly in the instrument any fact or circumstance required by this Act to be stated therein.

Any person who is dissatisfied with the assessment of the collector may, within thirty days after the date of the assessment, and on payment of duty in conformity therewith, or on securing the duty to the satisfaction of the collector, appeal against the assessment to the High Court, and may for that purpose require the Collector to state and sign a case, setting out the question upon which his opinion was required, and the assessment made by him.

A sum of five thousand shillings shall be lodged with the collector as security for the costs referred to in subsection (6).

The collector shall thereupon state and sign a case and deliver it to the person by whom it is required, and the case may, within seven days thereafter, and after service thereof upon the Attorney-General, be set down by that person for hearing.

Upon the hearing of the case the court shall determine the question submitted, and, if the instrument in question is in the opinion of the court chargeable with any duty, shall assess the duty with which it is chargeable.

If it is decided by the court that the assessment of the collector is erroneous, any excess of duty which may have been paid in conformity with the erroneous assessment, together with any fine or penalty which may have been paid in consequence thereof, shall be ordered by the court to be repaid to the appellant, with or without costs as the court may determine.

If the assessment of the collector is confirmed wholly or in part, the court may make an order for payment to the collector of the costs incurred by him in relation to the appeal.

No instrument chargeable with stamp duty shall be filed, enrolled, registered or acted upon by any person unless it is duly stamped.

If any person is empowered or required by any written law to act upon, file, enrol or register a duplicate or copy of any instrument, and if the original of that instrument would require to be duly stamped if acted upon, filed, enrolled or registered by that person, that person may call for the production of the original instrument or for evidence to his satisfaction that it was duly stamped, and no person shall act upon, file, enrol or register any such duplicate or copy without production of the original instrument duly stamped or of evidence thereof.

The penalty on stamping any instrument out of time referred to in paragraph (c) of subsection (3) shall be ten shillings in respect of every twenty shillings and of any fractional part of twenty shillings of the duty chargeable thereon and in respect of every period of three months or any part of such a period after the expiration of the time within or before which the instrument should have been stamped.

If any person applying for leave under this section is dissatisfied with the decision of the collector upon that application, that person may require his application to be referred to the Cabinet Secretary, whose decision thereon shall be final for all purposes.

Upon any application for leave under this section, the collector, or the Cabinet Secretary, may require sworn or other evidence in support of the application.

When an instrument has been stamped by leave under this section it shall be deemed to have been duly stamped.

Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, no bill of exchange or promissory note shall, except as provided in sections 21, 22, 34 and 36, be stamped after execution.

In this section, "collector" does not include the Senior Collector of Stamp Duties.

Where any minimum amount is prescribed below which stamp duty shall not be payable, no person shall execute more instruments than would ordinarily be necessary for the transaction in question in order to evade stamp duty.

Where a scale is prescribed under which the rate of stamp duty is increased after passing certain limits, no person shall execute more instruments than would ordinarily be necessary for the transaction in question in order to evade stamp duty.

In any question arising under this section the onus of proof shall lie upon the person who asserts that there has been no splitting in order to evade stamp duty.

All duties, penalties and other sums required to be paid by way of or in connexion with stamp duty under this Act or any other written law may be recovered by a collector as a civil debt recoverable summarily.

In a suit under this section, the production of a certificate signed by the Senior Collector of Stamp Duties giving the name and address of the person concerned and the amount of stamp duty due and payable by him shall be sufficient evidence that the amount of stamp duty is due and payable by that person.

For the purposes of executing distress the person authorized by the Senior Collector of Stamp Duties under the order may, in addition to employing such servants or agents as he may consider necessary, require a police officer to be present while the distress is being levied and a police officer so required shall comply with that requirement.

A distress levied under this section shall be kept for ten days, either at the premises at which distress was levied or at any other place which the authorized officer may consider appropriate, at the cost of the person from whom the duty is recoverable.

If the person from whom duty is recoverable by distress does not pay the duty together with the costs of the distress within the period of ten days, the goods and chattels distrained upon shall be sold by public auction for payment of the duty due and payable and the costs, and the proceeds of the sale shall be applied first towards the cost of taking, keeping and selling the goods and chattels distrained upon and then towards the duty due and payable and any remainder of those proceeds shall be restored to the owner of the property distrained.

In this section an authorized officer means the Collector of Stamp Duties or any other person authorized by the Senior Collector of Stamp Duties to levy distress.

Every instrument under hand only (not being a promissory note or bill of exchange) given upon the occasion of a deposit of any share warrant or stock certificate to bearer, or Commonwealth or foreign share certificate, or any security for money transferable by delivery, by way of security for any loan, shall be deemed to be an agreement, and shall be charged with duty accordingly.

Every instrument under hand only (not being a promissory note or bill of exchange) making redeemable or qualifying a duly stamped transfer intended as a security of any registered stock or marketable security shall be deemed to be an agreement and shall be charged with duty accordingly.

A release or discharge of any such instrument shall be charged with the like duty.

For the purposes of this Act, "promissory note" includes any document or writing containing a promise to pay any sum of money.

A note promising the payment of any sum of money out of any particular fund which may or may not be available, or upon any condition or contingency which may or may not be performed or happen, shall be deemed a promissory note for that sum of money.

Nothing contained in subsection (1) shall relieve any person from any fine or penalty to which he may be liable for not cancelling an adhesive stamp.

Every person who issues, endorses, transfers, negotiates, presents for payment or pays a bill of exchange or promissory note liable to duty and not being duly stamped shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding five thousand shillings; and the person who takes or receives from any other person any such bill or note either in payment or as a security, or by purchase or otherwise, shall not be entitled to recover thereon or to make it available for any purpose whatever:

Provided that if any bill of exchange payable on demand or at sight, or on presentation, or within three days after date or sight, is presented for payment unstamped the person to whom it is presented may affix thereto an adhesive stamp of two shillings and fifty cents, and cancel it as if he had been the drawer of the bill, and may thereupon pay the sum mentioned in the bill and charge the duty in account against the person by whom the bill was drawn, or deduct the duty from that sum, and the bill shall, so far as respects the duty, be deemed valid and available.

Nothing contained in subsection (1) shall relieve any person from any fine or penalty incurred by him in relation to that bill.

For the purposes of this Act, "contract note" means the note sent by a broker or agent to his principal, or by any person who by way of business deals, or holds himself out as dealing, as a principal in any stock or marketable securities, advising the principal or the vendor or purchaser, as the case may be, of the sale or purchase of any stock or marketable security, but does not include a note sent by a broker or agent to his principal where the principal is himself acting as broker or agent for a principal.

Where a contract note is a continuation or carrying over note made for the purpose of continuing or carrying over any transaction for the sale or purchase of stock or marketable securities, the contract note, although it is made in respect of both the sale and purchase, shall be charged with duty under this section as if it related to one of those transactions only, and, if different rates of duty are chargeable in respect of those transactions, to that one of those transactions which would render the contract note chargeable at the highest rate.

Where a contract note advises the sale or purchase of more than one description of stock or marketable security, the note shall be deemed to be as many contract notes as there are descriptions of stocks or securities sold or purchased.

Any person who effects any sale or purchase of any stock or marketable security as a broker or agent, and any person who by way of business deals, or holds himself out as dealing, as a principal in any stock or marketable security and buys or sells any such stock or marketable security shall forthwith make and execute a contract note and transmit the note to his principal or to the vendor or purchaser of the stock or marketable security, as the case may be, and in default of so doing shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding ten thousand shillings.

If any person makes or executes any contract note chargeable with duty and not being duly stamped, he shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding ten thousand shillings.

No broker, agent or other person shall have a legal claim to any charge for brokerage, commission or agency with reference to the sale or purchase of any stock or marketable security if he fails to comply with the provisions of this section.

Stamp duty on a contract note may be added to the charge for brokerage or agency, and may be recoverable as part of that charge.

The provisions of this Act as to contract notes shall apply to any contract under which an option is given or taken to purchase or sell any stock or marketable security at a future time at a certain price, as it applies to the sale or purchase of any stock or marketable security, but the duty on such a contract shall be one-half only of that chargeable on a contract note:

Provided that, if under the contract a double option is given or taken, the contract shall be deemed to be a separate contract in respect of each option.

Any contract note made or executed in pursuance and in consequence of the exercise of an option given or taken under a contract duly stamped in accordance with the provisions of this section shall be charged with one-half only of the duty which would otherwise have been chargeable thereon under this Act, provided it bears on its face a certificate by the broker, agent or other person mentioned in section 41 to the effect that it is made or executed in the exercise of an option for which a duly stamped contract has been rendered on the date mentioned in the certificate.

Any vesting order by the court shall bear the same stamp as if it were a conveyance on sale.

Where the consideration, or any part of the consideration, for a conveyance on sale consists of any stock or marketable security, the conveyance shall be charged with ad valorem duty in respect of the value of the stock or security.

Where the consideration, or any part of the consideration, for a conveyance on sale consists of any security not being a marketable security, the conveyance shall be charged with ad valorem duty in respect of the amount due on the day of the date thereof for principal and interest upon the security.

Where the consideration, or any part of the consideration, for a conveyance on sale consists of money payable periodically for a definite period not exceeding twenty years, so that the total amount to be paid can be previously ascertained, the conveyance shall be charged in respect of that consideration with ad valorem duty on the total amount.

Where the consideration, or any part of the consideration, for a conveyance on sale consists of money payable periodically for a definite period exceeding twenty years or in perpetuity, or for any indefinite period not terminable with life, the conveyance shall be charged in respect of that consideration with ad valorem duty on the total amount which will or may according to the terms of sale be payable during the period of twenty years next after the day of the date of the instrument.

Where the consideration or part of the consideration for a conveyance on sale consists of money payable periodically during any life or lives, the conveyance shall be charged in respect of that consideration with ad valorem duty on the amount which will or may, according to the terms of sale, be payable during the period of twelve years next after the day of the date of the instrument.

Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this section, no conveyance on sale chargeable with ad valorem duty in respect of any periodical payments and containing also provision for securing the payments shall be charged with any duty in respect of that provision, and no separate instrument made in that case for securing repayment shall be charged with any higher duty than one hundred shillings.

Where property contracted to be sold for one consideration for the whole is conveyed to the purchaser in separate parts or parcels by different instruments, the consideration shall be apportioned in such manner as the parties think fit, so that a distinct consideration for each separate part or parcel is set out in the conveyance relating thereto, and that conveyance shall be charged with ad valorem duty in respect of the distinct consideration.

Where property contracted to be purchased for one consideration for the whole by two or more persons jointly or by any person for himself or others or wholly for others is conveyed in parts or parcels by separate instruments to the persons by or for whom it was purchased for distinct parts of the consideration, the conveyance of each separate part or parcel shall be charged with ad valorem duty in respect of the distinct part of the consideration therein specified.

Where there are several instruments employed for completing any conveyance, mortgage or settlement, the principal instrument only shall be charged with ad valorem duty and each of the other instruments shall be chargeable with a duty of five shillings instead of the duty (if any) prescribed for it in the Schedule.

Any agreement or memorandum of an agreement for the sale of any estate or interest in any property (except lands, tenements or hereditaments, or property locally situated out of Kenya, or goods, wares or merchandise, or shares, or marketable securities, or any ship or vessel, or part interest, share or property of or in any ship or vessel) shall be charged with the same ad valorem duty as if it were an actual conveyance, assignment or transfer on sale of the estate, interest or property agreed to be sold.

Where ad valorem duty has been paid under subsection (1) and the purchaser, before having obtained a conveyance, assignment or transfer of the property, enters into an agreement for the sale of the property, the agreement shall be charged, if the consideration for the sale is in excess of the consideration for the original sale, with the ad valorem duty payable in respect of the excess consideration, and in any other case with the fixed duty of one thousand shillings or of one hundred shillings, as the case may require.

Where duty has been duly paid in conformity with the foregoing provisions of this section, the conveyance, assignment or transfer made to the purchaser or sub-purchaser, or any other person on his behalf or by his direction, shall not be chargeable with any duty, and the Collector upon application shall denote the payment of the ad valorem duty upon the conveyance, assignment or transfer.

Where any such agreement is stamped with the fixed duty of one hundred shillings, the agreement shall be regarded as duly stamped for the mere purpose of proceedings to enforce specific performance or recover damages for the breach thereof.

Where any such agreement is stamped with fixed duty, and a conveyance, assignment or transfer made in conformity with the agreement is presented to the collector for stamping with the ad valorem duty chargeable thereon within the period of six months after the first execution of the agreement or within such longer period as the collector may think reasonable in the circumstances of the case, the conveyance, assignment or transfer shall be stamped accordingly and both it and the agreement shall be deemed to be duly stamped; but nothing in this subsection shall alter or affect the provisions as to the stamping of a conveyance, assignment or transfer after the execution thereof.

The ad valorem duty paid upon any such agreement shall be returned by the collector in case the agreement be afterwards rescinded or annulled in writing.

Where upon the sale of any annuity or other right not before in existence the annuity or other right is not created by actual grant or conveyance, but is only secured by bond, warrant of attorney, covenant, contract or otherwise, the bond or other instrument, or some one of the instruments if there are more than one, shall be charged with the same duty as an actual grant or conveyance and shall for the purposes of this Act be deemed to be an instrument of conveyance on sale.

Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (1), an instrument being a grant or contract for payment of a purchased life annuity shall be chargeable with stamp duty under paragraph (3) of the heading Bond, Covenant or Instrument of any kind whatsoever in the Schedule, whether or not the annuity is a superannuation annuity as defined in that paragraph.

In this section, "purchased life annuity" means a life annuity granted for consideration in money or money’s worth in the ordinary course of a business of granting annuities on human life.

Any conveyance or transfer operating as a voluntary disposition inter vivos shall be chargeable with stamp duty as if it were a conveyance or transfer on sale, with the substitution in each case of the value of the property conveyed or transferred for the amount or value of the consideration for the sale.

Notwithstanding anything contained in section 17, a Collector shall be required without fee to express his opinion under that section on any conveyance, transfer or agreement mentioned in the foregoing provisions of this section, and no such conveyance, transfer or agreement shall be deemed to be duly stamped unless the Collector has expressed his opinion thereon in accordance with that section and the instrument has been stamped accordingly.

Where any instrument is chargeable with duty both as a conveyance or transfer under this section and as a settlement under the heading Settlement in the Schedule, the instrument shall be charged with duty as a conveyance or transfer under this section and not as a settlement.

Any conveyance or transfer (not being a disposition made in favour of a purchaser or encumbrancer or other person in good faith and for valuable consideration) shall, for the purposes of this section, be deemed to be a conveyance or transfer operating as a voluntary disposition inter vivos, and (except where marriage is the consideration) the consideration for any conveyance or transfer shall not for this purpose be deemed to be valuable consideration where a collector is of opinion that by reason of the inadequacy of the sum paid as consideration or other circumstances the conveyance or transfer confers a substantial benefit on the person to whom the property is conveyed or transferred.

The foregoing provisions of this section shall not apply to a conveyance or transfer made for a nominal consideration for the purpose of securing the repayment of an advance or loan or made for effectuating the appointment of a new trustee or the retirement of a trustee, whether the trust is expressed or implied, or under which no beneficial interest passes in the property conveyed or transferred, or made to a beneficiary by a trustee or other person in a fiduciary capacity under any trust, whether express or implied, and this subsection shall have effect notwithstanding that circumstances exempting the conveyance or transfer from charge under this section are not set forth in the conveyance or transfer.

An agreement for a lease, or in respect of any letting, shall be charged with the same duty as if it were an actual lease made for the term and consideration mentioned in the agreement.

A lease made subsequently to, and in conformity with, such an agreement duly stamped shall be charged with the duty of five shillings only.

Where the consideration, or any part of the consideration, for which a lease is granted or agreed to be granted, consists of any produce or other goods, the value of the produce or goods shall be deemed a consideration in respect of which the lease or agreement is chargeable with ad valorem duty.

Where it is stipulated that the value of the produce or goods is to amount at least to, or is not to exceed, a given sum, or where the lessee is specially charged with or has the option of paying after any permanent rate of conversion, the value of the produce or goods shall, for the purpose of assessing the ad valorem duty, be estimated at the given sum, or according to the permanent rate.

A lease or an agreement for a lease made either wholly or partially for any such consideration, if it contains a statement of the value thereof, and is stamped in accordance with the statement, shall, so far as regards the subject-matter of the statement, be deemed to be duly stamped, unless or until it is otherwise shown that the statement is incorrect, and that the lease or agreement is in fact not duly stamped.

An instrument, whereby the rent reserved by any other instrument chargeable with duty and duly stamped as a lease is increased, shall not be charged with duty otherwise than as a lease in consideration of the additional rent thereby made payable.

Every licence relating to immovable property shall for the purposes of this Act be deemed to be a lease by the grantor of the licence to the grantee, and shall be charged with duty accordingly.

In the application to licences of the provisions of this Act with respect to leases, every consideration which would have been rent if the licence had been a lease shall be deemed to be rent, and duty shall be charged accordingly.

For the purpose of this Act "equitable mortgage" means an agreement or memorandum relating to the deposit of any title deeds or instruments constituting or being evidence of the title to any property (other than any stock or marketable security) or creating a charge on the property.

A security for the transfer or re-transfer of any stock shall be charged with the same duty as a similar security for a sum of money equal in amount to the value of the stock; and a transfer, assignment or disposition of any such security, and a reconveyance, release, discharge, surrender, resurrender, warrant to vacate or renunciation of any such security, shall be charged with the same duty as an instrument of the same description relating to a sum of money equal in amount to the value of the stock.

A security for the payment of any rent charge, annuity or periodical payments, by way of repayment, or in satisfaction or discharge of any loan, advance or payment intended to be so repaid, satisfied or discharged, shall be charged with the same duty as a similar security for the payment of a sum of money so lent, advanced or paid.

A transfer of a duly stamped security, and a security by way of further charge for money or stock added to money or stock previously secured by a duly stamped instrument, shall not be charged with any duty by reason of it containing any further or additional security for the money or stock transferred or previously secured, or the interest or dividends thereof, or any new covenant, proviso, power, stipulation or agreement in relation thereto, or any further assurance of the property comprised in the transferred or previous security.

An instrument chargeable with ad valorem duty as a mortgage shall not be charged with any further duty by reason of the equity of redemption in the mortgaged property being thereby conveyed or limited in any other manner than to a purchaser, or in trust for, or according to the direction of, a purchaser.

A security for the payment or repayment of money to be lent, advanced or paid, or which may become due upon an account current, either with or without money previously due, shall be charged, where the total amount secured or to be ultimately recoverable is in any way limited, with the same duty as a security for the amount so limited.

Where such total amount is unlimited, the security shall be available for such an amount only as the ad valorem duty impressed thereon extends to cover, but where any advance or loan is made in excess of the amount covered by that duty the security shall, for the purpose of stamp duty, be deemed to be a new and separate instrument bearing date on the day on which the advance or loan is made.

Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this section, no money to be advanced for the insurance of any property comprised in the security against damage by fire, or for keeping up any policy of life insurance comprised in the security, or for effecting in lieu thereof any new policy, or for the renewal of any grant or lease of any property comprised in the security upon the dropping of any life whereon the property is held, shall be reckoned as forming part of the amount in respect whereof the security is chargeable with ad valorem duty.

Every instrument and every decree or order of any court, whereby the co- owners of any property divide or agree to divide such property in severalty, shall be charged with duty as a partition.

For the purpose of computing the duty on an instrument of partition, the largest share remaining after any property has been divided (or, if there are two or more shares of equal value and not smaller than any of the other shares, then one of such equal shares) shall be deemed to be that from which the other shares are separated.

When an instrument of partition containing an agreement to divide property in severalty is executed and a partition is effected in pursuance of the agreement, the duty chargeable upon the instrument effecting the partition shall be reduced by the amount of duty paid in respect of the first instrument, but shall not be less than two hundred shillings.

Where a final order for effecting a partition passed by any civil court, or an award by an arbitrator directing a partition, is stamped with the stamp required for an instrument of partition and an instrument of partition in pursuance of the order or award is subsequently executed, the duty on the instrument shall be reduced by the amount of the duty paid in respect of the first instrument, but shall not be less than two hundred shillings.

For the purposes of this Act, "policy of marine insurance" means a policy within the meaning of the Marine Insurance Act (Cap. 390).

Where a person, in consideration of a sum of money paid or to be paid for additional freight or otherwise, agrees to take up himself any risk attending goods, merchandise or property of any description whatever while on board of any ship or vessel or engages to indemnify the owner of any such goods, merchandise or property from any risk, loss or damage, the agreement or engagement shall be deemed to be a contract of marine insurance.

A stamp duty of five shillings shall be charged on a policy of marine insurance containing a continuation clause, in addition to the stamp duty which is otherwise chargeable on the policy.

If the risk covered by the continuation clause attaches and a new policy is not issued covering the risk, the continuation clause shall be deemed to be a new and separate contract of marine insurance expressed in the policy in which it is contained, but not covered by the stamp on the policy, and the policy shall be stamped in respect of that contract accordingly, but may be so stamped without penalty at any time not exceeding 30 days after the risk has so attached.

In this section, "continuation clause" has the same meaning as in section 25(4) of the Marine Insurance Act (Cap. 390).

Where the premium or consideration for a policy of marine insurance is expressed to be a sum not exceeding the rate of two shillings and fifty cents per centum of the sum insured, and is subject to an increase (whether defined or not in the policy) in the event of the occurrence of a specified contingency, the premium or consideration shall, for the purposes of this Act, be treated as a premium or consideration not exceeding the rate of two shillings and fifty cents per centum on the sum insured.

If, owing to the occurrence of the contingency which is the occasion for an increase of the premium or consideration, the premium or consideration is increased so as to exceed the rate of two shillings and fifty cents per centum of the sum insured, the policy or a new policy to be thereupon issued shall be stamped with such an additional sum as is required to represent the additional duty payable, and may be so stamped without penalty at any time not exceeding thirty days after the date on which the increased premium or consideration becomes ascertained.

Any broker, agent or other person negotiating or transacting any marine insurance contrary to the true intent and meaning of this Act, or writing any policy of marine insurance upon material not duly stamped, shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding fifty thousand shillings, and shall not have any legal claim to any charge for brokerage, commission or agency, or for any money expended or paid by him with reference to the insurance, and any money paid to him in respect of any such charge shall be deemed to be paid without consideration and shall remain the property of his employer.

If any person makes or issues, or causes to be made or issued, any document purporting to be a copy of a policy of marine insurance, and there is not at the time of the making or issue in existence a policy duly stamped whereof that document is a copy, he shall be guilty of an offence and liable, in addition to any other fine or penalty to which he may be liable, to a fine not exceeding fifty thousand shillings.

For the purposes of this Act, "policy of life insurance" means a policy of insurance upon any life or lives or upon any event or contingency relating to or depending upon any life or lives except a policy of insurance against accident; and "policy of insurance against accident" means a policy of insurance for any payment agreed to be made upon the death of any person only from accident or violence or otherwise from a natural cause, or as compensation for personal injury.

A policy of insurance against accident shall not be charged with any further duty than five shillings or forty shillings, as the case may be, by reason of its extending to any payment to be made during sickness or incapacity from personal injury.

No assignment of a policy of life insurance shall confer on the assignee therein named, or his executors, administrators or assigns, any right to sue for the money assured or secured thereby, or to give a valid discharge therefor, or any part thereof, unless the assignment is duly stamped, and no payment shall be made to any person claiming under any such assignment unless it is duly stamped.

If any payment is made in contravention of this section, the duty not paid upon the assignment, together with the penalty payable on stamping the same, shall be a debt due to the Government from the person by whom the payment is made.

Any person receiving any money of one hundred shillings or upwards in amount, or any bill of exchange or promissory note for an amount of one hundred shillings or upwards, or receiving in satisfaction or part satisfaction of a debt any movable property of one hundred shillings or upwards in value, shall, on demand by the person paying or delivering the money, bill, note or property, give a duly stamped receipt for it.

Where the holder of a stock certificate to bearer or an instrument to bearer chargeable as a stock certificate to bearer has been entered on the register of a local authority, or any corporation or company or body of persons formed or established in Kenya, as owner of the share or stock described in the certificate, the certificate shall be forthwith cancelled so as to be incapable of being reissued to any person.

Any person by whom a stock certificate to bearer or an instrument to bearer chargeable as a stock certificate to bearer is issued without being duly stamped shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding twenty thousand shillings.

The provisions of this section with respect to the release and assignment of debts of the existing company shall not, except in the case of debts due to banks or to trade creditors, apply to debts which were incurred less than two years before the proper time for making a claim for exemption under this section.

For the purposes of a claim for exemption under paragraph (b) of subsection (2), a company which has, in connexion with a scheme of reconstruction or amalgamation, issued any unissued share capital shall be treated as if it had increased its nominal share capital.

A company shall not be deemed to be a particular existing company within the meaning of this section unless it is provided by the memorandum of association of, or the Letters Patent, Act of the United Kingdom Parliament or Act of Kenya incorporating, the transferee company that one of the objects for which the company is established is the acquisition of the undertaking of, or shares in, the existing company, or unless it appears from the resolution, Act of the United Kingdom Parliament, Act of Kenya or other authority for the increase of the capital of the transferee company that the increase is authorized for the purpose of acquiring the undertaking of, or shares in, the existing company.

In a case where the undertakings of or shares in two or more companies are to be acquired, the amount of the reduction to be allowed under this section in respect of the stamp duty chargeable in respect of the nominal share capital or the increase of the capital of a company shall be computed separately in relation to each of those companies.

Where a claim is made for exemption under this section, the collector may require the delivery to him of a statutory declaration in such form as he may direct, made by an advocate, and of such further evidence, if any, as the collector may reasonably require.

Stamp duty under the heading Conveyance or Transfer on sale in the Schedule shall not be chargeable on an instrument to which this section applies.

No Stamp duty shall be chargeable on an instrument relating to the matters referred to in subsection (1).

An instrument to which this section applies shall be deemed to be duly stamped where it has, in accordance with the provisions of section 17, stamped with the particular stamp denoting that it is not chargeable with any duty.

The exemption for instruments to which paragraph (1)(b) applies shall only have effect in respect of instruments executed before the 31st December, 2022.

For the purposes of this section—

"additional trustee" means a new trustee appointed to an existing real estate investment trust.

"trustee" means a person appointed under a trust deed as a trustee of a real estate investment trust or otherwise so appointed by the court or pursuant to regulations made under the Capital Markets Act (Cap. 485A).

An exemption under subsection (1) shall also apply if the asset is replaced during the term of the Sukuk arrangement:

Provided that the conditions specified in subsection (1) (a) and (b) are satisfied.

If any instrument stamped with the discontinued die, and first executed after the day so stated at any place outside Kenya, is brought to a collector within fourteen days after it has been received in Kenya, then upon proof of the facts to the satisfaction of the collector the stamp thereon shall be cancelled and the instrument shall be stamped with the same amount of duty by means of the lawful die, without payment of any penalty.

Any person having in his possession any material stamped with the discontinued die, and which by reason of the providing of the new die has been rendered useless, may, at any time within six months after the day stated in the notice, send it to the collector, who may thereupon cause the stamp on that material to be cancelled and the same material, or if the collector thinks fit any other material, to be stamped with the new die, in lieu of and to an equal amount with the stamp so cancelled.

Cheques drawn and issued on forms supplied or adopted by the bank in accordance with this section shall be deemed to be duly stamped.

The Cabinet Secretary may on the recommendation of the Cabinet Secretary for the time being responsible for matters relating to land, by notice in the Gazette, direct that any instrument or any class of instruments shall be exempted from the provisions of this Act if he is satisfied that it is in the public interest so to do.

The Cabinet Secretary shall not exempt any instrument or class of instruments from the provisions of this Act in respect of which stamp duty has already been paid and the instruments have been duly stamped.

If any instrument sent to a collector under subsection (3) of section 19 is lost, destroyed or damaged during transmission, the person sending it shall not be liable for the loss, destruction or damage.

When any instrument is about to be sent, the person from whose possession it came into the hands of the person impounding it may require a copy thereof to be made at the expense of the first mentioned person and authenticated by the person impounding the instrument:

Provided that in the event of the loss, destruction or damage of the original instrument the authenticated copy shall be admissible in evidence in any court, but the copy shall be chargeable with duty and penalty as if it were the original.

Any person who practises or is concerned in any fraudulent act, contrivance or device, not specially provided for by any written law, with intent to defraud the Government of any stamp duty or penalty shall be guilty of an offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or to a fine not exceeding one hundred thousand shillings, or to both such imprisonment and fine.

Any person who, for the purpose of evading any stamp duty or penalty, falsifies, mutilates or destroys any book of account or other instrument whatsoever shall be guilty of an offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or to a fine not exceeding one hundred thousand shillings, or to both such imprisonment and fine.

Where any obligation or liability is under the provisions of this Act imposed upon a corporate body and the obligation or liability is not discharged, every director, manager, secretary and other officer of the corporate body who is wilfully a party to the default, and the corporate body, shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding fifty thousand shillings.

Where any obligation or liability is under the provisions of this Act imposed upon a firm and the obligation or liability is not discharged, every partner in the firm, and every servant of the firm, who is wilfully a party to the default, and the person appearing to have the management of the firm within Kenya, shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding fifty thousand shillings.

If it appears to a magistrate upon the oath of any person that there is reason to believe that there are or may be upon or in the possession or under the control of any person, or on any premises, any books of account or other instruments whatsoever of which any of the contents may tend to show that an offence under this Act has been committed, the magistrate may issue a search warrant authorizing any person named or referred to in the warrant to search any such person, and to enter and search any such premises and any person found therein, and to inspect and take copies of any books of account or other instruments found on those premises or upon that person.

Any copies so taken shall be admissible in evidence in any proceedings under this Act.

If any person obstructs any such inspection or taking of copies in any manner whatsoever he shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding twenty thousand shillings.

The exemption conferred by this section on the Government shall extend to the Community and to the Corporations within the Community.

The Cabinet Secretary may, by order published in the Gazette, amend the Schedule.

Every order made under this section shall be laid before the National Assembly without unreasonable delay, and, if a resolution is passed by the Assembly within twenty days on which it next sits after the order is laid before it that the order be annulled, it shall thenceforth be void, but without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done thereunder or to the making of any new order.