This archive report was first published on 25 June 2020.
On June 25, 2020, the Court of Appeal ruled that Keroche Breweries must pay Sh100 million to the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) within 45 days to avoid having its Sh9.1 billion assets attached.
The ruling was made by judges William Ouko, Daniel Musinga, and Patrick Kiage, who considered the challenging economic circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier, in March 2020, Justice David Majanja had directed the company to pay Sh500 million within 30 days, but Keroche Breweries argued it was unable to raise the amount.
The company also claimed that its appeal would be rendered useless if the agency notices issued by KRA to its bankers, Equity Bank Limited and Absa Bank of Kenya, were not lifted.
The appellate judges have now lifted the agency notices pending determination of the intended appeal by Keroche Breweries.
“It is evident that KRA has issued agency notices to Keroche’s bankers. Unless the orders sought are granted, the agency notices shall be effected and Keroche’s operations will be grounded, thus rendering the appeal nugatory,” the judges said.
