Folks,

We are our brothers keepers. These two require human shield. We must not keep quite until the Government protect lives of those threatened. These two media personnel have expressed genuine fear for their lives from threats received by them. We have witnessed before, when Media personnel expressed such fears, the Government was slow to act, and eventually the said personnel were killed in cold blooded situation. We believe Government personnel are one way or the other involved and has a hand in such deals, the reason why they dilly dally when emergency calls are made. They seem to look the opposite direction to avoid paying attention to such urgent calls, so they can fake some excuses.

It is up to the Government to provide protection for these two with immediate effect, failure to which the Government must be held accountable and must meet consequences of the blame. Government must not wait for public to sound the noise for them to act. It is their duty to make sure safety is guaranteed to all citizens. Life is a fundamental right and a value no one should play with other people’s lives. Those who are threatening must also be nabbed.

The Government should have closed in on them by now. People behind such threats are known like an open public book and they must not be left to escape. If anything happens they must be rounded up as first suspects. We all know who they are, so the Government cannot pretend they dont know them. They are those “Dont Touch Me” business tycoons of Mombasa – the falshy dealers of the Kenya Port, who does not know them. Michael Waweru must expose them to public, so they are publicly known.

It is our Prayer that God will prevail to protect peoples lives from the wicked hands that messes withe God’s Creation and give those who fear anointing for protection.

Be all Blessed,

Regards,

Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com

Taxman supports KTN’s ‘Port of Impunity’ expose

Updated 7 hr(s) 42 min(s) ago
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By John Njiraini and Moses Njagih

Kenya Revenue Authority has admitted the existence of an intricate corrupt network is masterminding tax evasion at the Port of Mombasa.

In a rare Press conference following KTN’s exclusive investigation on how the Government has been losing billions of shillings through tax evasion, KRA Commissioner-General Michael Waweru admitted Customs officials have been colluding with importers to evade tax.

“Businesses want to maximise on revenue and some have been evading taxes with the help of Customs officers,” he said.

He added that over the past 18 months the authority, mandated to collect taxes on behalf of the Government, has taken disciplinary action against 162 employees for complicity in tax evasion, corruption, fraud and theft. Majority, 86, were Customs officers.

The intricate web involves businessmen who want to make astronomical profits by importing goods and failing to pay taxes.

It also involves clearing and forwarding agents under-declaring the goods, KRA Customs officials, Kenya Bureau of Standards officials, the police and other port officials.

KTN’s four-month investigation, dubbed ‘Port of Impunity’, revealed how it was possible to import goods and evade taxes despite existence of stiff law on tax evasion.

Target taxes

It dug into the murky world of some of the players involved in the conspiracy and tactics used to circumvent due process, denying the Exchequer billions of shillings in revenue and earning crooked individuals a fortune.

Though Waweru could not reveal how much the authority was losing, conservative estimates indicate the tax evasion cartels are costing the country a staggering Sh14 billion annually.

The rampart cases of tax evasion could also be the reason the authority has been failing to meet tax collection targets in recent years.

During the first quarter of this year, collections fell below target by three per cent, with the taxman managing Sh124 billion against a target of Sh127.8 billion.

He said the authority has instituted measures to eradicate corruption within its ranks and ensure it collects all the revenue due to the exchequer.

Meanwhile Central Organisation of Trade Unions Secretary-General Francis Atwoli wants the Government to provide security to the two KTN journalists who exposed the graft.

Atwoli urged the Internal Security Minister George Saitoti to accord John Allan Namu and Mohammed Ali adequate security, saying their exposÈs them to dangers.

This comes as the duo claimed they were receiving death threats over the stories.

Atwoli urged the Government not to take the claims lightly.

Fete reporters

Speaking in Nyeri, Atwoli called for the feting of the two journalists, saying they had stood out as champions against corruption.

“President Kibaki should consider the two for State commendations on Jamhuri Day,” he said.

The series Port of Impunity and the Swahili version Zengwe Zengwe Bandarini were carried last week.

Ali and Namu recorded statements with the police on Thursday after receiving the threats.