Busia teachers oppose motorcycle levy, threaten to hold demo

BUSIA COUNTY: Teachers in Busia have threatened to hold a demonstration over a new levy targeting motorcycle riders.

The new law introduced by the County Government seeks to have motorcylce operators in Busia town taxed.

Kenya National Union of Teachers Secretary General, Busia branch, Mark Oseno, said most of their members had been affected by the new law as 90 per cent of teachers in the area use motorcycles to commute to their work stations.

"We have not been given a clarification whether the law makes a distinction between boda bodas and personal motorcycles." Oseno noted.

Teachers mishandled

He said some of their colleagues have been previously mishandled by those enforcing the law, whom he claimed were overstepping their mandate.

"They use the crudest of methods to rein in suspected offenders. They should be patient enough to let people explain to them who they are," he said.

The revenue collectors are also said to have mishandled a Teachers Service Commission officer stationed at Burinda Sub-county even after he identified himself. "They should sit down and re-look at the law," Oseno said.

He added: "Perpetrators of the crime should be dealt with according to the law to protect our teachers from being harassed."

However, the Chief Officer at the governor's office Ezekiel Okwach said only motorbike riders earning income from their motorcycles should be taxed.