Kenya’s local brewing company Keroche has been caught on the receiving end once again in a renewed tax dispute with the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA).
This is after KRA shut down its Naivasha plant Tuesday with the Chief Executive Tabitha Karanja saying over 400 staff will be affected.
“Thousands of innocent hard-working Kenyans are undergoing the indignity and injustice of unemployment, poverty and hunger,” said Karanja.
Karanja also said the closure will see the brewer’s beer worth Ksh.350 million go to waste.
In a fresh appeal, Karanja asked KRA for a chance to rebuild the business and save the jobs of her staff before settling the tax arrears.
“I specifically request once more to be given a moratorium on the enforcement action that shut down our operations, and on the unsustainable payment plan that we agreed to under unbearable pressure.
“I therefore also humbly request for further engagement to consider a way for the company to meet its due obligations without sacrificing it and the livelihoods of countless Kenyan households,” she added.
KRA and Keroche reached an agreement to resume the business on March 14 after a one-month closure when the company agreed to remit Ksh.957 million within a 24-month period beginning January 2022.
