Migori county fish mongers on Thursday staged demonstrations over harassment by Kenya Revenue Authority officers on the Tanzanian border.
Carrying placards and twigs, the traders in Migori town said KRA officials and police have been incessantly harassing and intimidating them.
The traders were accompanied by fishermen and lorry drivers in the sector in a march that ended at Governor Okoth Obado’s office where they demanded to be addressed.
On Wednesday, a lorry ferrying 100 bags of omena to Nairobi was impounded by KRA officials and taken to Migori police station on claims that the consignment was from neighboring Tanzania, sparking the protests.
“We are tired because officials have been demanding up to Sh50,00 from the traders whenever the vehicle is impounded before releasing the goods, they have refused to issue the best way to have legal trade,” Ruth Adoyo, a fishmonger said.
He said Migori town has been the main collection point of fish from around Lake Victoria beaches before they are dispatched across the county and officials have taken to harassing traders in their stores.
“We want the matter addressed to end this continued harassment. As traders we have a common collection point in Migori where the goods are consolidated before being ferried to Nairobi. The KRA officials are aware of this but still wait to impound the lorries once they set out to various destinations,” she said.
Traders said KRA officials and police officers have been colluding to make arbitrary arrests on traders.
“It is as if they are spying on traders and only come in to make arrests once lorries are loaded and ready to be dispatched across the country. Why is it that the goods are not impounded at the beaches? It is absurd that the officers wait until the process is cleared only to impound the vehicles,” Rose Ondigo, a trader said.
Ken Ombajo, a lorry driver said the harassment has been deliberate and targeted without any help from government officers on how rates are paid.
Muhuru Bay MCA Hevrone Maira urged the revenue officials to exercise “due diligence while undertaking their work.”
“They (KRA) must not be a money minting scheme at the expense of struggling Kenyans. Let them follow due diligence and avoid harassing traders,” he said.
Attempts to seek a statement from Migori county KRA officials failed.
The demonstrations come only days after two KRA officials in the county, based at Isebania border crossing with Tanzania were charged in Migori High Court with three counts of corruption and bribery.
John Bosco Okochi, a KRA Customs officer and Simon Mutinda Mwangi, the Isebania Deputy station manager who appeared before Migori Senior Principal Magistrate Johnstone Mungutu were charged with three separate counts of corruption and bribery.
Court documents indicated that the pair were arrested by anti-corruption officials in November 2019 but were released on Sh50,000 cash bail as state prosecutors sought for more time to finish investigations.
They were re-arrested on October 29 upon completion of investigations by state prosecution.
According to the charge sheet, the three were charged with three separate counts ranging from conspiracy to commit a corruption offence, willingness to take a bribe and actual taking of a bribe despite being public officers.
In the first count, the pair were charged with Conspiracy to commit an offence of corruption contrary to 47 (a,3) as read with section 48 a of corruption and economic crimes Act.
In the second count, the two were accused of seeking a financial advantage of Sh100,000 to help release an impounded truck while the third account involved taking of Sh30,000 to effect the said favours.
The said offences, according to the state prosecution, were committed on November 17 2019, at Isebania within Migori county.
They denied the charges and were released on Sh300,000 bond and two sureties of a similar amount.
The court further granted the two an alternative cash bail of Sh100,000 after their lawyer Edward Ratemo sought lenient bond terms.
According to Ratemo, the two had previously been out on bond and had been co-operating with the investigating agencies and “issuing them with lenient bond terms would not affect the ongoing trial.”
The case is set for hearing on November 8.
