Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti has been criticised following allegations of using the Finance Act 2021 to impose heavy taxes on motorists operating within the county.
In a notice dated Tuesday, November 26, the Kenya Transporters Association (KTA) accused the Machakos County government of double taxation through the introduction of a Ksh2500 annual fee alongside daily parking fees.
The motorists also faulted Wavinya Ndeti’s administration for imposing harsh penalties and fines on motorists who defy the regulations. According to them, the penalties and fines led to the extortion of drivers by rogue county government officials.
“There is no justification for charging an annual county commercial vehicle registration fee that cannot be linked to any service provided especially when the vehicle may not operate within the county year-round,” lamented the motorists.
KTA termed the regulations as a violation of Article 209 of the Constitution which mandates taxation by county government only on services rendered. “Any law that is not aligned with the Constitution of Kenya 2010 is not legal,” claimed the Association.
The county government was also criticised for allegedly interfering with the role of the national government through involvement in vehicle registration which is a role only performed by the National Transport Safety Authority (NTSA).
While lamenting the heavy taxation, KTA called on NTSA and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi to intervene and ensure seamless operation by motorists in Machakos County.
According to them, failure by the national government to resolve the matter, then all motorists operating in Machakos would boycott payment of taxes to the county government.
The motorists also vowed to halt operations within the county until their plights were resolved. “If all 47 counties were to impose similar fees, it would severely impact the cost of transport and consequently the national economy,” the motorists argued.
The move comes hardly a week after Public Service Vehicle (PSV) operators in Machakos staged demonstrations over allegations of mismanagement of the transport sector by the county government.
During the protests, the matatu operators accused the County Head of Transport of allegedly turning a deaf year on their plights, thus leaving them with no option other than to engage in demonstrations.
The protests which took place on Wednesday, November 20, paralysed transport along the Nairobi-Machakos Highway, forcing passengers to cancel their trips while others resorted to using private means.
