KRA staff to wear “body cameras” to curb tax cheating
KRA staff to start wearing “body cameras” in the war against kickbacks and crack down on staff bribery.
The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has announced that its workers will have body-worn cameras/ “body cameras” in the latest bid to crack down on staff bribery that abets duty evasion.
In the newest attempt by authorities to combat corruption, the cameras, which are more commonly known as bodycams, will be used mostly by workers who work in the domestic tax department and customs and border control.
Some KRA employees have been charged with aiding in the fraudulent clearance of cargo and filing false tax forms to assist individuals in avoiding paying duty.
Kenya is attempting to lessen its thirst for debt in favor of supporting the majority of its budget through taxes, therefore it is introducing the usage of bodycams, which are frequently employed by US law enforcement officials.
“Very soon we will also be ensuring our enforcement officers have body-worn cameras, like the ones you see in the US so that any action they take is recorded and we can see it. When you put it off, we will also have to understand why you do it,” KRA Commissioner General Githii Mburu told the Business Daily in an interview.
“This is so that as you engage out there, you do not get involved in activities that will compromise our objectives. We have to employ risk management where our risks are highest, so they will be more for our officers at border points where things are moving in and out and all our custom areas.”
The use of cameras will start in high-value locations like the border points, Mombasa port, the Inland Container Depot, and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
The integrity of the KRA workers has come into focus in the recent past as a biting cash crisis hit the government.
The authority has battled tax-related misconduct such as theft, cheating in the declaration of return, corruption, collusion, and soliciting bribes from tax cheats.
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