Anxiety has gripped Times Towers, as more details emerged on the Friday arrests of staff suspected to be behind a tax evasion syndicate.
New information shows that at least 32 Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) employees from the Domestic Taxes Department, 15 from the Customs and Border Control Department and one from the Investigations and Enforcement Department are on the run.
The Friday crackdown was followed by a tough communication from the outgoing Commissioner General John Njirani, who warned that the Authority and investigation agencies would not relent in holding those found culpable to account.
Work ethics
And the Commissioner for Domestic Taxes Elizabeth Meyo, through an internal communication, later sought to defuse the tension.
“Following today’s (Friday) events on staff arrest, I appeal to you to remain calm, as the issues raised are investigated. I trust that your morale and work ethics remain unaffected,” said Mrs Meyo.
“The department remains strong as we focus our energies on the core mandate of revenue collection in the final lap of this financial year. As we purpose to deliver on our revenue target, let us ensure that we are steadfastly focused on our mandate.”
She urged the staff to continue to uphold high integrity and promote the best practices in their duties.
Some staff claimed that the affected officers have been accused of issuing tax compliance certificates to Kenyans who are yet to file their 2018 tax returns. Also, they have been accused of fiddling with tax returns on behalf of taxpayers.
Another issue under investigation is the amendments to tax returns that does not allow KRA officials to make any changes even if a client makes a mistake.
“We have been reduced to only accepting or rejecting the filed returns without amendments,” said an employee.
In his Friday night communication to staff, Njiraini said the affected employees were suspected of involving in unethical acts that undermined the proper discharge of KRA mandate.
