This archive report was first published on 20 September 2021.
On September 20, 2021, a Mombasa judge intervened in a long-standing dispute over taxation in Mtito Andei and Mackinnon Road, temporarily halting the collection of taxes by three counties.
Activist Okiya Omtatah had filed a petition to protect traders in the two towns from double taxation, which had been a source of agony for them.
The dispute centered around the ownership of the two towns, with Kwale and Taita Taveta counties claiming Mackinnon Road Town, while Makueni and Taita Taveta counties were at odds over Mtito Andei Town.
Environment and Land Court Judge Lucas Naikuni issued an order stopping the three county governments from levying taxes, pending the determination of the case.
Omtatah sought to have Taita Taveta county appointed as the sole authority for issuing business permits and levying county taxes in both towns, just as its predecessor did before the establishment of county governments in 2013.
He also requested that the county government deposit all the revenues it collects into an interest-earning bank account opened jointly with the respective county governments.
