Former First Lady Mama Ngina Kenyatta has responded to President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza regime on the ongoing tax debate, which has ignited a heated debate in the political arena.
Recently, Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei and his Nyeri counterpart Wahome Wamatinga claimed that former President Uhuru Kenyatta was not paying taxes.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua also weighed in on the debate and aggressively maintained that everyone must pay taxes.
And Mama Ngina Kenyatta has come out to respond to the claims and asserted that paying taxes is a requirement of the law and that everyone, including herself and her family, must be happy to pay taxes.
Speaking at a church service in Lamu County, Mama Ngina explained that it is every Kenyan’s civic duty to pay taxes, regardless of their rank in society.
She also castigated a section of the Kenya Kwanza leaders who she says have been belabouring the subject for their own political gain.
“I wonder when I hear some people say that others are not paying taxes. I wonder because people wake up and just say things disregarding the fact that the government has a way of running such matters.
“Paying taxes is a must for everyone regardless of their status in society. It’s not a matter to be talked about in the media or in political gatherings.
“There’s no need of maligning some people to prove that you are working,” she said.
She went ahead to show the extent to which she is ready to pay any taxes should it be found that she’s not paid any taxes.
“Even if it’s myself who’s not paid taxes even for one year, I’m ready to have my property sold o pay the taxes,” she added.
The quotes were loosely translated from her Kiswahili verbatim;
“Naskia mengine nasemwa eti wengine wengine hawatoi kodi. Nashangaa kwa sababu kila mtu anaamka anasema hii na mwingine anaamka anasema hii lakini serikali iko na laini yake ya vile mambo inaendeshwa.
“Mambo ya kodi income tax ni lazima; mkubwa na mdogo kulipa kulingana na uwezo wake na mapato yake. Iyo si kazi ya kuzungmuza katika kwa magazeti kwa mikutano ama tv.
“Kwa sababu ukikosa kulipa kodi unapelekwa kortini kwa sababu hiyo ndio sheria. Ukikosa kulipa ile unatakiwa kulipa, lazima hiyo vitu yako inachukuliwa itauzwa.
“Hakuna mambo ya kuharibia wale wengine majina ndio watu wasike eti wanafanya kazi, wanaendesha nchi. Hapana. Mtu ashtakiwe alipe ile kitu anatakikana kulipa.
“Na kama ni mimi hata nikiwa na mwaka moja nakosea bila kulipa, mali ichukuliwe illipe ile tax kwa sababu ni lazima.
“Kwa hivyo hakuna haja ya kufanya kazi ya kisiasa hivi na vile na hiyo sio kweli na watu wanajua hawasemi kweli.“
