The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) is “broke” and cannot pay police officers Sh214.8 million for securing its premises, the taxman has told MPs.
Commissioner General Githii Mburu told the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that KRA entered into an agreement with the Ministry of Interior for the deployment of Administration Police officers in KRA offices countrywide.
Under the 2004 agreement signed between KRA and the Administration Police Commandant, the taxman was to be invoiced at the rate of Sh500 per officer per day.
In addition, KRA was to provide a token allowance of Sh500 per officer per day payable directly to the AP officers for meals. He said KRA currently has 423 armed personnel spread in 95 stations countrywide.
The officers provide security of KRA premises and installations, conduct armed patrols with revenue officers along the border points, escort revenue officers during field assignments, and offer security of premises containing seized or illicit goods.
Mr Mburu said KRA has since sunk into arrears that accumulated from 2016 to date owing to budgetary constraints. The KRA currently only pays officers Sh500 for meals and transport and not the Sh500 for securing its premises.
“We are unable to cater for police expenditure because we have a critical deficit in our budget. The recurrent budget request actual allocations by the Treasury was significantly low,” he said when he appeared before the committee chaired by Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi to explain why KRA had failed to settle Sh143.2 million in respect of security services offered between 2016 and 2019.
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