- The Kenya Revenue Authority clarified that former Cabinet minister Raphael Tuju has no tax debts
- KRA asserted Tuju’s status as a law abiding and valued taxpayer, dismissing opposition claims
- Authorities responded to misleading media reports about Tuju’s tax compliance
Nairobi: The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has responded to allegations that it is targeting a former Cabinet minister Raphael Tuju regarding the pending tax dispute.
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The authority said that Tuju is tax compliant and a valued taxpayer, and there are no pending tax disputes, as some opposition politicians claimed.
“The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has noted with concern recent media reports claiming that it has collected tax debt from Hon. Raphael Tuju. The authority wishes to clarify that Hon. Tuju is a compliant and valued taxpayer. Therefore, the information is incorrect and misleading to the public,” KRA said in a press release on Thursday, March 26.
During an interview on Ramogi TV and Ramogi Radio on Wednesday, March 25, the former vice president Rigathi Gachagua he sensationally claimed that the taxpayer had given Tuju a tax debt of KSh 60 million.
“I just saw they are harassing Tuju. They have charged him KSh 60 million with KRA, after harassing him in the hospital. The guy had a bad accident. He injured his spine. He was treated badly by the police. He is in the hospital. He has not killed anyone. He has not done anything that would cause that kind of violence against him,” he said.
What happened to Tuju?
Tuju currently finds himself in a property dispute with the East African Development Bank (EADB) regarding an unpaid KSh 1.1 billion debt.
The legal battle started in 2015, when Tuju borrowed KSh 1.1 billion in 2015 through his company, Dari Limited.
According to the bank, Tuju defaulted on the loan by the second quarter of 2016. This action led the lender to issue a notice to Dari Limited at the end of 2017.
The Kampala-based financial institution claimed that Tuju ignored its notices and the matter was referred to a Kenyan court by a London-based court.
Therefore, Dari Limited was found guilty of paying KSh 1.96 billion.
When was Tuju auctioned?
One of the key properties, Dari Coffee and Restaurant, was auctioned on October 1, 2024, for KSh 450 million to Ultra Eureka Limited.
Tuju has opposed the sale and the attempt to auction other properties.
The city businessman camped outside the property when thugs and police officers chased him away on Wednesday night, March 14.
Earlier that week, he had confronted the auctioneers, defiantly telling them that they would have to “kill him first” before they would send him away.
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