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| KRA Commissioner General Mr. John Njeraini |
Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich through a Gazette Notice 4536, dated the 12th of May 2017, exempted import duty on sugar imported between 12 May and 31 August 2017.Based on this exemption by the CS, a Kenyan company, Darasa Investments Ltd imported 40,000 tons of brown sugar from Brazil. The reason for the exemption the CS indicated at the time was to counter the effects of persistent drought at the time as affirmed by a presidential declaration.
This sugar consignment has led to some KRA officers facing the Ethics and Anti-Corruption commission for questioning. Infighting at the Times Towers, the headquarters of Kenya Revenue Authority has persisted with officer accusing one another of collusion. On one hand there is a group of officers being accused by the rest of working with the importer in leaking out crucial information that has helped the importer to fight out its court battles with the taxman.
The Weekly Vision has established that Commissioner I&E (Investigations and Enforcement) Mr. David Yego has been marked by Commissioner General Mr. John Njeraini for dismissal. The dismissal has however hit a snug as Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich has come to Mr. Yego’s rescue. The commissioner general has been overhead by insiders within KRA blaming Mr. Yego for the ongoing court wrangles between the importer Darasa Investment Ltd and KRA. In an effort to o clip Mr. Yego’s powers the Commissioner General John Njeraini has created a position of Commissioner of Intelligence; and put a certain Mburu as the one in charge, Mburu reports directly to the Commissioner General.
The position is however not supported by any KRA act.Another Commissioner set to leave KRA over the same saga is Commissioner Training Beatrice Memo to be replaced by Mr. Julius Musyoki currently Commissioner of Customs Services. Commissioner of Intelligence Mr. Mburu is set to take over as commissioner of customs service’s soon after Mr. Julius Musyoki leaves, as the position he holds at the moment is set to be abolished. All these changes are to take place immediately before Mr. John Njeraini leave Times Towers his terminal leave pending retirement.
The cargo was loaded in a Brazilian port on a vessel known as the Anangel Sun on 15th July 2017 for transportation to Kenya. The consignment was set for arrival in Kenya on the 28th of August, 2017 which was still within the exemption period. However, due to rough seas and the vessel being too big to berth at the port of Mombasa, the consignment arrival was delayed.
The sugar eventually arrived at the Kilindini in Mombasa aboard a vessel, known as MV Iron Lady between 28-30th October 2017, but the company’s clearing agents were not allowed to clear it under the conditions of the exemption notice. The reason stated by the customs officers was that there were inconsistencies relating to the date of loading, place of inspection, certificate of origin and change of ownership of the consignment.
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