News

Cherargei wants law exempting Kenyatta, Moi estates from taxation amended

By
Former Kenya presidents Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel Arap Moi./Courtesy

Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei is now proposing to amend Estate Duty Act to delete a provision that protects former Presidents Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel arap Moi’s Estates from tax exemption.

In a letter to the Clerk of the Senate, Cherargei describes the law as an ‘illegal relic and unconstitutional’ because the two former presidents were State Officers by virtue of the positions they held.

“The constitution 2010 is aimed at creating equality and equity in the payment of taxes in Kenya. This proposed amendment of Section 7(3) of the Estate Duty Act shall cure this unconstitutional illegal legislation and allow Kenyans to be treated equally before the law,” states Cherargei.

He is proposing to have people with disabilities, minorities, and the marginalized to enjoy the exemption instead.

‘This section shall not apply to H.E Mzee Jorno Kenyatta or to H.E Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi” be replaced by inserting the following words: ” that this section shall not apply to the disabled, minorities and marginalized as provided by the relevant law.’

Legislators from President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance have been attacking former President Uhuru Kenyatta claiming that he was keen on evading payment of taxes.

The former President on Tuesday dismissed the Government’s plan to go after him over tax evasion, saying he is not bothered by “noise”.

He shrugged off the remarks by Kenya Kwanza allied politicians as empty noise on the issue.

President Ruto kick off the debate on alleged tax evasion by wealthy individuals on Monday he claimed opposition protest rallies are being financed by people who were keen on evading payment of taxes.

“Even if they sponsor demonstrations so that they don’t pay tax, I want to promise them that they will pay tax. There are no more exemptions. This country is not an animal farm, where some are more equal than others.”

“We are going to have a society where every citizen carries their fair share of our burden. I am not talking about additional taxes that have been agreed upon by Parliament and signed into law,” President Ruto told an MPs post-election retreat in Mombasa.

Capital

Author

Milton Nyakundi

Milton Nyakundi is a veteran multimedia journalist with over 20 years of experience across broadcast, digital, and print media, who relocated to the United States in 2022 and is now the Senior International Correspondent for Kurunzi News based in Washington, DC, USA. He has previously worked with the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), among other high-profile roles with Kenya's first privately-owned media outlet - Kenya Television Network. His experience also include prominent roles as Media Consultant for Football Kenya Federation (FKF), and StarTimes Kenya. His career spans high‑stakes political reporting covering legislative and constitutional issues, elections, governance, and accountability across Kenya, Africa, and global arenas. He also boasts extensive sports journalism experience, covering local and international sports events, including leagues, tournaments and sports governance. He is well-known for his investigative depth, editorial leadership, and evidence-driven journalism that guides his consistent delivery of public‑interest storytelling across platforms.

View all posts by Milton Nyakundi

Leave a comment

More on News