About three days have passed since South Sudan nationals drunk wine, gave each other high-fives, danced, shed tears, and shouted themselves horse as they marked their country’s first birthday.
It is nice to add a year to one’s life, and it is even nicer if the birthday guarantees more freedom and rights. To Kenya, South Sudan having added a year to its age is a great milestone. This is a baby Kenya ‘sired’ and seeing it crawl and attempt to utter the word mama or papa brings a lot of joy. But children are known to ape many things from their parents. They will imitate what their parents say and do, whether it is good or bad.
South Sudan may thus behave like many other normal children and copy many things from Kenya, among them tribalism, corruption, nepotism and one-big man syndrome.
Reports have indicated that these vices, which have weakened Kenya, are taking root in the fledging nation. Soon, PointBlank will hear some officials of the nation are hiding billions of shillings in foreign accounts. South Sudan should work faster to eliminate these vices. They do not need to take this horrendous path, even if Kenya is her father.
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Unpaid taxes taxing matatu driver’s heart
Naomba serikali itusaidie (The government should help us) is a phrase that matatu driver Nderitu does not want to associate with.
Instead, Nderitu says he wants to “kusaidia serikali” (help Government) raise revenue. The driver believes Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has ignored the PSV sector when it comes to paying taxes.
“We register with KRA and we have documents, which show that we should be on permanent employment thus pay income tax, remit monies to National Health Insurance Fund and National Social Security Fund, but this is not what is happening,” he notes.
Paying tax to KRA, Nderitu believes, will not only help raise Government revenue but also eliminate corruption on roads.
“Police collect bribes, a minimum of Sh500 daily (which they call tax) from matatu operators because they know we do not pay tax. This is something they tell us now and then,” he claims.
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