Former First Lady Mama Ngina Kenyatta on Saturday dared Kenya Revenue Authority to sell off her property if it has sufficient proof that her family has not paid its share of taxes.
Mama Ngina, the widow of Kenya’s founding president Jomo Kenyatta, called for due process to be followed instead of the reputation of her family being dragged in the mad.
Ina video that has since gone viral, she is captured rapping the President William Ruto administration accusing it of politicizing the tax issue to target her family unjustifiably.
“If you fail to pay the tax due, your property will be possessed and sold. So, there is no need to soil the name of others for you to be seen to be working, and running a country. No,” said Mama Ngina.
The former First Lady addressed the hot tax issue while launching the Teresa Catholic Church, which she helped to build, at Tewe in Mpeketoni, Lamu West, Lamu County.
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Mama Ngina accused some politicians of politicising her family’s tax issues for mileage.
"If someone has not paid their taxes, let them be prosecuted so that they pay what is due. If it is me, even if I have not paid taxes for one year, take my property to settle that tax. There’s no need to politicise it. People know they are not speaking the truth, they just want to be heard to be mentioning names," she lamented.
He called on the government to utilize the right channels to go after those they allege have not been paying their share of taxes instead of doing so through political rallies.
“Paying tax, income tax, is a must, whether you are big or small, according to your ability or income. That is not something to talk about in the newspapers, meetings or tv. Because if you fail to pay you are taken to court, because that’s the law,” she said.
She spoke amid allegations by leaders in the Kenya Kwanza government that businesses and estates owned by the wealthy Kenyatta family had not been paying taxes.
The UDA lawmakers urged the government through KRA to investigate tax waivers the Kenyatta family enjoyed during the 10-year-tenure of former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The MPs cited the Sh350 million tax waiver given to NCBA (linked to the Kenyattas) and NIC (linked to the Philip Ndegwa family) by then CS Henry Rotich during their merger in 2019.
Last month, President William Ruto claimed the Azimio la Umoja rallies and demos being spearheaded by Raila Odinga were being financed by those who want to avoid paying taxes.
February 1, 2023, Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei wrote to the Senate seeking to amend section 7(3) of the Estate Duty Act that exempts the Kenyatta and Moi families from paying taxes on their estates.