GRAPEVINE: Who is protecting the customs cartel at KRA?
Sources familiar with the unease at KRA’s Times Towers headquarters say the lifting of the suspensions has fuelled suspicion that powerful interests could be shielding those implicated from deeper scrutiny.
Whispers at Times Towers are growing louder over claims that senior officials at the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) could be suppressing a potentially explosive customs scandal involving alleged manipulation of the Integrated Customs Management System (iCMS) and payment and verification protocols by some rice and petroleum oil importers.
The intrigue deepened after four clearing agents were suspended over the alleged breaches, only to controversially receive clearance to resume operations while the companies linked to the transactions remain in business.
The developments have sparked uncomfortable questions within the taxman offices over who pulled the strings.
Sources familiar with the unease at KRA’s Times Towers headquarters say the lifting of the suspensions has fuelled suspicion that powerful interests could be shielding those implicated from deeper scrutiny.
The alleged manipulation is said to have exposed the exchequer to potentially millions of shillings in lost revenue.
As internal murmurs intensify, one question continues to circulate in the corridors of Times Towers is who exactly is the godfather?
