Lamu police protest tax exemption abolition

Kenya Revenue Authority offices

LAMU, KENYA; Police involved in anti-terrorist operations have protested the abolition of tax exemptions for officers injured in the line of duty.

The office of the Inspector General of Police abolished the exemptions last week.

Affected officers said it would only add to the suffering of those already burdened by injury.

In a letter March 7, the IG announced that injured police officers, including those with disabling injuries, would no longer enjoy tax exemptions.

The letter has brought dissatisfaction among officers posted to the region to fight Al Shabaab militants. Some of them are nursing injuries sustained in gunfights with the terrorists and say they are their families' main breadwinners.

One officer who sought anonymity for fear of reprisal said officers injured in the operation area had been assured of certain tax exemptions.

“We are not happy with the National Police Service Commission regarding the directive. My hand was paralysed after I was shot by the Al Shabaab. If I lost my job right now, I cannot work on my farm using one hand,” said the officer.