Rigathi Gachagua, who is currently touring the United States, has called on Kenyans in the diaspora to resist a proposed survey aimed at determining how much households have received from Kenyans abroad. He warned that this could lead to further taxes being imposed on remittances from abroad.
Speaking during a community town hall meeting in California on Saturday, Gachagua criticised President William Ruto for 'directing' the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) to implement the exercise, calling it “ill-intended” and “intrusive.”
“I do not know what is wrong with William Ruto. The CBK announced that it will be going to your homes to get the value of your remittances to determine how much money you send them. You guys have already paid tax; you are helping your kin because of failed systems,” Gachagua said.
He urged diaspora communities to instruct their families back home not to share such details with CBK officials.
“If Ruto wants to know how much money you send home, he should come here and talk to you. Do not torment our parents and our people back at home,” he added.
Gachagua further accused the government of targeting hard-working Kenyans abroad to make up for domestic economic shortcomings. “They send money because things are not working in the government. That is being too intrusive. We do not want too much government in people’s lives,” he said.
Last week, CBK launched the Remittances Household Survey (RHS), a nationwide data collection programme aimed at gathering detailed information on international remittances received by Kenyan households.
According to CBK, the survey will involve field officers visiting homes that have received money from relatives and friends abroad. The data will include the amounts sent, how the funds are used, and the costs or challenges involved.
The regulator stated that the exercise will help develop policies that promote remittance flows, improve the efficiency of transfer systems, and address the needs of recipients. CBK will also collect data from all international remittance service providers.
Official statistics show that in 2024, Kenya recorded remittances worth Ksh666.7 billion, representing 4 per cent of the country’s GDP. In 2023, the figure was Ksh586 billion.
Gachagua promised that if his party forms the next government, it will introduce a diaspora infrastructure bond to enable Kenyans abroad to invest their remittances and earn returns.
“This is the kind of policy we need—one that rewards your hard work, not one that intimidates or taxes you further,” he told Kenyans in the US.
