Is the Government Fighting Local Companies?

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Keroche Industries Ltd owner Tabitha Karanja in a past event.PHOTO/COURTESY

Immediately after DPP Noordin Haji ordered for the arrest of Keroche Breweries bosses over tax evasion, political analyst Mutahi Ngunyi sensationally claimed that Tabitha Karanja and her husband were being targeted because they are hustlers who have made in life.

‘Tabitha Karanja are hustlers who made it. They must face the dirty law, not justice.’ Ngunyi said through his Twitter handle.

https://twitter.com/MutahiNgunyi/status/1164250453082812416

In a rare occurrence, Ngunyi’s sentiments resonated with the majority of Kenyans, who believe that the govt could be going after businesses owned by local companies.

In her defence, Tabitha said that she has complied with all tax requirements and she was being targeted by her competitors.

“As a local company, we have gone through numerous challenges as a result of which mostly has been castigated by our competitors and it’s my plea as a homegrown investor to be supported for our tireless efforts in building a Kenyan story of self-determination, resilience and a belief in ourselves,” she says in a statement sent to newsrooms.

Blogger Robert Alai accused the DCI and DPP of using the goodwill they enjoy from the public to harras Kenyans.

According to unverified claims, at least five Flying Squad vehicles camped outside Keroche’s offices in Naivasha just to arrest the Keroche bosses. Why all the drama?

In recent time, the government has gone after Sportpesa, billionaire Humphrey Kariuki and now Keroche in multi-billion tax evasion cases. Ironically, Sportpesa was awarded the leading taxpayer for three consecutive years between 2016 and 2017. So what changed? And where was KRA when these companies were accumulating such colossal amounts of money?

Sportpesa was recently forced to cancel all sponsorship deals in Kenya after the govt ground its operations. Hundreds of Kenyans are also at risk of losing their jobs if the company does not resume business soon.

 

Sportpesa CEO Ronald Karauri.PHOTO/COURTESY

“Sportpesa as a business has been subjected to punitive measures by regulators such as delayed license renewal and the suspension of PayBill numbers with these actions considerably reducing the level of business operations,” read Sportpesa’s statement to media.

Keroche was trending at number one on social media for the better part of Wednesday night and Thursday morning, Kenyans aired their views.

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