Browsing: Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA)

Kenya has stepped up efforts to curb illicit financial flows (IFFs) through the signing of theYaoundé Declaration, with Africa losing $50 to $60 billion annually through illicit financial flows.

The National Treasury Acting Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani has provided the much needed shot in the arm for the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) efforts to tackle illicit financial flows through the Yaoundé Declaration.

While welcoming the commitment by the Government, KRA Commissioner General Githii Mburu said the instrument focuses on improving international tax cooperation through enhanced information sharing among the African Union (AU) member states to curb illicit financial flows.

READ ALSO:Corruption fueling illicit flow of money from Africa, delegates in Nairobi discuss

“KRA is encouraged by the Government’s swift moves to prioritize the signing of international treaties that will accelerate efforts to curb international tax evasion,” Githii said.

In a communique to the Chairperson of the Global Forum on …

Kenya’s president Uhuru Kenyatta has cautioned unscrupulous individuals against tax evasion.

The president has also tasked the country’s taxman, Kenya Revenue Authority to find new methods of enhancing revenue collection.

“For far too long, tax evasion has been glorified in Kenya. Far too many Kenyans feel justified in cheating the taxman, in paying less than they should into the public coffers.

“Yet, despite this behaviour, they still expect world-class roads, quality healthcare and education, and other public services; not appreciating the fact that those public goods and services are paid for out of Tax Revenues,” said Mr Kenyatta.

He warned that the government won’t allow few individuals to continue paying less than what they should to the taxman.

President Kenyatta was speaking at the 16th annual taxpayers’ luncheon organized by the Kenya Revenue Authority in Nairobi.

The President said tax evasion will be dealt decisively and directed relevant state agencies …

Kenya is keen to boost its trade with Ethiopia through the One Stop Border Post initiative, even as Lamu Port South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) corridor starts to take shape.

Acting Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury and Planning Ambassador Ukur Yatani has called on residents of the upper eastern region at the Kenya-Ethiopia border to take advantage of recently established One Stop Border Point (OSBP) in Moyale to boost trade between Kenya and Ethiopia.

READ ALSO:Ethiopia beats Kenya in Foreign investments

The CS said that the modern facility which is among other six in the country was underutilized.

“We should see more trade volumes passing through the OSBP at Moyale- an indication of a robust business activity between Kenya and Ethiopia. Unfortunately, we are not witnessing this. I wish to urge residents in this region to make use of this exemplary facility for their good and the good of both …

Barely a month after intercepting a consignment of contrabands and illegal imports at the Port of Mombasa, Kenyan authorities have yet again seized another multi-million shipment by rogue importers in Kenya.

Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) seized 144 drums of imported Ethanol at the Port of Mombasa, which had been mis-declared as 1,000 bags of cement.

Customs officers have also seized another high end motor-vehicle, a Range Rover Sports suspected to have been stolen from the United Kingdom which had been mis-declared as second hand window frames, doors, folding chairs, stools and wall pictures.

READ ALSO:KRA intercepts narcotics disguised as candy at JKIA

The Ethanol was imported in two by twenty feet containers while the vehicle was in a twenty-foot container. The two were intercepted following intelligence reports; they were scanned through KRA’s non-intrusive scanners and the images showed inconsistency with what had been manifested.

A multi-agency team lead by …

Kenya Airways is launching new routes to new destinations as it seeks to turn around years of loss-making despite the airlines’ losses prediction worsening its situation.…

Kenyan authorities have unearthed an international car smuggling racket targeting the East Africa region, one in many that have been busted in recent times.

On May 9, 2019, Customs officers in Mombasa received intelligence to the effect that two 20-foot containers on board a ship sailing to the Port of Mombasa was suspected to be stolen motor vehicles from the United Kingdom.

The containers arrived at the Port of Mombasa on May 11, 2019 aboard MV. MSC Positano from Oman and had not been declared.

Authorities subjected the two containers to x-ray cargo scanning where the images revealed the presence of top of the range motor vehicles.

According to import documents, the Range Rover Sport cars, which were subject of an international motor vehicle crime and smuggling investigation, were on transit to Uganda.

“a multi-agency team led by Customs officials undertook a verification exercise on  May 28,  2019 confirming the …

The Kenyan government has now resorted to vetting of importers and exporters of consolidated cargo in the latest move to curb tax evasion.

This comes in the wake of recent piling of cargo at the Nairobi Inland Container Deport (ICD) as authorities opted for 100 per cent verification on containers with consolidated goods.

This is on suspicion of under-declaration and misdeclaration by traders in a tax evasion racket that has been denying the government revenues amounting to billions of shillings.

Rogue state officials have been accused of colluding with unscrupulous traders to facilitate false declarations, denying the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) requisite taxes, such as import duty, a move said to have led to a loss of over Ksh100 billion(US$987.8million) in the recent past.

They are also said to allow in counterfeits into the market and through the transit route into the hinterland in exchange for kickbacks.

The verification process …

Kenya has moved to rein in betting companies in what has been described as an ‘increasing political opposition into the industry as a whole.’

The industry has been thriving in the country until the government in late 2017 embarked on different measures to control gambling.

Top on the onslaught has been Kenya Revenue Authority, Cabinet Secretary of Interior Dr Fred Matiang’i and Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) which has either objected in the manner betting companies were operating or complained of tax evasion.

Dr Matiang’i made good his threat to deport foreign operatives of these betting companies by signing deportation letters of 17 workers of different companies on charges of working in Kenya illegally as well as evading taxes.

He said betting companies owe KRA huge sums of money in revenue and their presence in Kenya was making the situation worse.

“Poignantly, attempts to recover this amount have not …

The two have agreed to implement a Single Customs Territory (SCT) to enhance clearance of goods and promote trade

After close to two years of a trade tension between Kenya and Tanzania on free market access of locally produced goods, the two neighbours have agreed to call a truce.

Back-to-back trade talks have seen the two agree to open their borders for trade while they move to jointly implement a Single Customs Territory (SCT), as agreed, to enhance the process of clearance of goods.

The SCT is a step towards a full customs union, achievable by the removal of restrictive regulations and reducing internal border controls on goods moving between partner states. The ultimate goal is the free circulation of goods.

The tiff

The two East Africa Community (EAC) member states have recently been entangled in a trade raw on local content which led to a tit-for-tat ban on some …

Delivery has become the in-thing in the market. Customers nowadays don’t have to go to the shops but can just order, make a payment (either before or on delivery) and receive their orders at home, in the office or have them delivered wherever they want. The Exchange spoke to Glovo, a startup founded in 2015 in Barcelona, and launched in Kenya in February this year. The service is present in over 20 countries and more than 100 cities. With over 10 years in business development, seven of which have been in the tech world, Glovo Market Lead (Sub-Saharan Africa) Priscila Muhiu divulges into the logistics business in Kenya and the region.

What makes the logistics space in Kenya an attractive prospect and why is Glovo in this business?

Logistics is the key driver to any economy. Without logistics, businesses will not be able to get their goods to their …