'UDA poll materials smuggled into country'

A voter casts the ballot during UDA elections at Rukenya Primary School in Gichugu constituency, Kirinyaga county. [File, Standard] Election gadgets used in the United Democratic Alliance's (UDA's) grassroots elections held last year were "smuggled" into the country, the party's former Secretary General, Cleophas Malala claims. In an exclusive interview with The Standard, the former Kakamega senator alleged that UDA did not pay import duty on electronic gadgets used in identification and voting, which he linked to a larger tax-evasion scheme. "The situation further escalated during the procurement of the tablet gadgets used in the party's grassroots elections. In a blatant abuse of process, the party, through a network of brokers, smuggled the iPads into the country without paying the required import duties or taxes, in direct violation of customs and revenue laws," said Malala. In an affidavit sworn last September after his ouster as secretary general, Malala accuses a former senior party official of single-sourcing the tablets in a deal worth Sh90 million, a move he says contravened procurement laws. "The purchase of the tablets involved evasion and non-payment of relevant taxes as there was no import tax certificate provided contrary to the law and party policy," he claimed, accusing the official of claiming refunds for taxes never paid. Malala says his concerns about the matter were brushed aside "by individuals operating outside formal structures." "If indeed the process was above board, I challenge the party leadership to publicly produce the KRA receipts, customs clearance certificates, and tax return documents to prove that tax was paid. This amounts to tax evasion a criminal offense under the Tax Procedures Act, 2015, the Income Tax Act (Cap 470), and other tax-related laws administered by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) (sic.)," said the former senator. Other alleged payments include Sh26 million withdrawals for elections that were postponed and a Sh6.2 million "fraudulent" payment for hiring helicopters to distribute election materials that he said were donated. In a letter dated July 22, 2024, allegedly written to a party official, Malala asks about the status of the millions allocated for party elections, which he notes had been withdrawn a month earlier. "Given that the elections did not take place as scheduled, I am seeking clarification on the current status of these funds. Specifically, I would like to know whether the monies have been returned to the party election account," the letter states in part. In April last year, UDA held primaries in 22 counties, which featured electronic identification and voting. The second phase of the polls, planned for June, was postponed amid a youth-led revolt against tax hikes and a rift between factions loyal to President William Ruto and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. The Standard could not independently verify Malala's allegations, which include claims that the party's election board received Sh205 million to organise grassroots polls. Another allegation is that UDA has never remitted statutory deductions of its employees, a mockery of Dr Ruto's aggressive push to milk as much tax as possible from Kenyans. They feature in a document that Malala said was his submission to UDA's Internal Dispute Resolution Committee. "I remained silent until I was rattled. But let it now be known: my silence should not be mistaken for weakness or guilt. The President's party, UDA, must understand that no individual or institution is above the law. Public trust is earned through transparency, accountability, and adherence to legal and ethical standards, not through intimidation, propaganda, or character assassination," Malala stated. Malala said he did not know about the "withdrawals and payments" because he had been removed as a mandatory signatory and made an optional signatory of UDA's accounts. "Concerned about the safety of party funds and the risk of fraud, I wrote to the bank giving instructions on clearance of cheques from the party bank accounts," he claimed.

'UDA poll materials smuggled into country'

Get Full Access for Ksh299/Week.

Related Topics

Popular this week

Latest Stories

The Standard Insider

Digger Classified

GET OUR NEWSLETTER

CONNECT WITH US

FOR THE LATEST JOB ADVERTS

DIGGER JOBS

Digger Motors

Digger Real Estate

'UDA poll materials smuggled into country'

Get Full Access for Ksh299/Week.

Related Topics

Trending Now

Popular this week

Latest Stories

The Standard Insider

Digger Classified

GET OUR NEWSLETTER

CONNECT WITH US

FOR THE LATEST JOB ADVERTS