Embu County denied millions in revenue through fake permits

Trade, tourism and Industrial Development County Executive Committee member David Kariuki

Corrupt county government employees have been pocketing millions of shillings through selling forged licences to unsuspecting bar owners, the county assembly has heard.

Trade, Tourism and Industrial Development Executive David Kariuki said they found out that dishonest employees had been issuing forged licences for the last three years, denying the local government the much-needed revenue.

"This has denied residents the development they deserve because revenue targets are not met as individuals illegally enrich themselves," Mr Kariuki said.

He however said the county government had put into place measures to arrest the loss of revenue through forged liquor licences.

Outlining plans to stem corruption in his docket and ensure optimal revenue collection, Kariuki said they had introduced new licences with advanced safety features that backstreet printing firms would not be able to replicate.

“Only the chief officer is authorised to sign liquor licences. This will deal with the confusion that arises when many officials are required to sign the documents. There will be no loopholes for fraudulent issuance of permits,” he said.

He expressed confidence that the department would meet its revenue target of Sh29 million in the next financial year, adding they had collected Sh9 million in three days when they started fresh licensing of bars in the county this week.

Kariuki said his officers had also received more than 2,000 applications for liquor licences for the three categories of Sh20,000, Sh25,000 and Sh30,000.