This archive report was first published on 1 October 2019.
On October 1, 2019, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) rolled out a spying program aimed at determining if the taxes Kenyans pay match their income and wealth.
The program, which involves a team of about 100 investigators, has been using various databases to pursue suspected tax cheats, including bank statements, import records, and Kenya Power records.
According to a report by the Business Daily, the KRA enforcement unit has been analyzing companies' financial dealings, especially firms doing business with the government and counties, to unearth tax cheats through matching their payments and income declared to KRA.
The report also reveals that the KRA has been using various databases, including bank statements, import records, motor vehicle registration details, Kenya Power records, water bills, and data from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCCA), to identify individuals who own assets such as helicopters.
Some 50 police officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have been seconded to KRA to up investigations into tax defaults.
‘There has been lots of surveillance from KRA. They want to find out for instance why is one paying a tax of Sh20,000 and driving a high-end Range Rover,’ said Nikhil Hira, a tax expert and director at law firm, Bowmans.
