Njiraini says another 30 individuals cases are awaiting prosecution approval by the Director of Public Prosecutions/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 28 – Over 23 Kenya Revenue Authority staff have been prosecuted over the last twelve months due to breaches related to Mombasa port operations.
Kenya Revenue Authority Commissioner General John Njiraini says the 23 KRA employees are part of 103 other individuals prosecuted over fraud and theft at the port.
Njiraini says another 30 individuals cases are awaiting prosecution approval by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
“We will sustain the pressure in this respect even as they reform the way Customs business is managed at the Port,” Njiraini noted during the Tax Payers Day celebrations on Friday.
In last year’s celebrations, President Uhuru Kenyatta directed KRA to subject its employees to a lifestyle audit in efforts to stop corruption in the agency that costs revenue leakages.
He emphasized that concrete measures must be taken to enhance revenue mobilization by ensuring that all eligible taxpayers meet their tax obligation and corruption in tax collection is eradicated.
As a result, Treasury developed a comprehensive framework to guide the vetting process.
“All KRA staff have gone through the framework and we will continue with this process in a transparent manner without victimizing any staff,” said Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich during the same event.
Besides punitive interventions, KRA is also making technology investments to help better manage its business.
The Authority is set to install three new container scanners at the Mombasa port facilitated by the Chinese government in an effort to interdict illicit trade.
“We are also actively working with other border control agencies under the Border Control Coordination Committee framework led by the Ministry of Interior with the objective of achieving more coordinated surveillance processes at land border points,” Njiraini noted during the Tax Payers Day celebrations on Friday.
