This archive report was first published on 30 September 2019.
Kenya Revenue Authority's (KRA) plans to monitor mobile money transactions have raised eyebrows among Kenyans, with many questioning the move's implications on data privacy.
According to ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru, KRA has a legal mandate to access and use transaction data held by telcos and other finance-based institutions to hit its projected tax collection target of 1.9 trillion shillings.
As part of the exercise, KRA will match mobile transactions with individual taxpayers' returns to establish consistency, with the aim of catching tax evaders.
While reassuring Kenyans that the exercise will not abuse people's privacy, Mucheru has insisted that the government will access personal data if it helps catch tax cheats.
Published on September 30, 2019
