Despite winning an election and stepping down as Keroche breweries CEO, Nakuru Senator Tabitha Karanja seems not to be able to catch a break from the ghost of her liquor company's Sh14.5 billion tax evasion case.

In the run-up to the August 9, 2022 elections, Ms Karanja, then the managing director of Keroche Breweries, found herself at loggerheads with the taxman over the alleged non-remittance of taxes.

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The battle, which saw the liquor company shut down for months, became the subject of political propaganda used by supporters of then Deputy President Dr William Ruto against the government.

Dr Ruto's allies had accused the government of weaponising state institutions to settle political scores.

Ms Karanja, who was claimed to being a long-time friend of opposition leader Raila Odinga, was being courted for support by the two leading political sides, the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition led by Mr Odinga and the Kenya Kwanza Alliance led by Dr Ruto.

It was during this period that Ms Karanja decided to join the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party before being unveiled as the party's senatorial candidate for the county.

She went on to win the primaries and the eventual election on August 9.

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However, the tax evasion case was brought back to court after she failed to honour the payment agreement she made with the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), where she was charged with ten counts of tax evasion.

According to the charge sheet, Senator Karanja is accused of unlawfully making false declarations in her excise duty returns by reducing them by Sh1.8 billion on various dates between 20 February 20, 2015 and January 20, 2016.

She is also accused of making false statements on various dates between January and December 2017, which affected her excise duty payable by Sh3.6 billion.

In another charge, she is accused of failing to file her VAT returns between January and June 2019, affecting her VAT liability by Sh196 million.

She has denied the charges and is out on bail.

But despite her efforts to at least distance herself from the troubled Keroche Breweries, the case is still weighing on her.

This is after Senior Principal Magistrate Esther Kimilu, sitting in a Milimani court on July 26, issued an order for her arrest after she failed to turn up for the hearing of the case.

opendajoseph@gmail.com

Keroche Breweries tax evasion case comes back to haunt Senator Tabitha Karanja

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Joseph Openda