Three Kenya Revenue Authority staff charged in contraband sugar probe

MOMBASA, KENYA: Three Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) customs officials have been charged before a Mombasa court for releasing substandard sugar into the market.

The three, Vivian Moraa Rioba, Monica Waceke Kiarie and Stephen Ochieng Onditi face three counts of abuse of office, breach of trust and wilful disobedience of statutory duty.

They are accused, jointly with others not before court, of clearing 10,000*50kg bags of sugar that do not meet the required standards between 29th June and 11th July, 2018.

The three members of staff who have since been suspended by KRA appeared before Mombasa Senior Resident Magistrate Martin Rebera and denied all the charges. They were released on a Sh1.5million bond and a surety of a similar amount, with an alternative cash bail of Sh500,000 each.

The court also barred the three from accessing their (KRA) offices and ordered them to report to the DCI offices in Mombasa once every week. Officials from Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) and the importer of the Sugar had been arraigned in court earlier.

This arrests and prosecution is part of the continued joint commitment between the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and KRA to deepen collaboration in combating tax evasion and corruption involving collusion between taxpayers and KRA staff.

The collaboration focuses on varied aspects including the management of Customs clearance operations and the tackling of illicit trade and both importation and local manufacturer level.