Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Opranya has pleaded with the National Treasury to intervene and solve a tax standoff.
Oparanya has lamented that the Kenya Ports Authority has declined to release life-saving machines over a huge accrued tax bill.
According to the former Chairperson of the National Council of Governors, the taxman is demanding Kshs 8 million before the new machine is released.
The machine in question is a new 1000 liter per minute oxygen plant that Kakamega county had acquired.
The contractor who was contracted to acquire the oxygen plant is unable to pay the tax which has forced Oparanya to seek help from the National Government.
“I call upon the National Treasury to intervene and assist my Government to get the new 1,000 liters per minute capacity oxygen plant which is being held at Mombasa Port over taxes. KRA wants Sh 8 million tax from the contractor yet he is unable to pay the amount,” Oparanya wrote on his social media page.
At the same time, Oparanya who also doubles up as the ODM party leader has called on the Ministry of Health to intervene so that the machine can be cleared at the port.
He has insisted that the plant is critical in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic and should be installed to help the people from Kakamega county
“I appeal to the Ministry of Health to assist and enable the plant be cleared at the Port and installed to save lives during this Covid-19 pandemic. I urge the Government not to impose heavy taxes on equipment that are critical to save lives,” Oparanya noted.
Kakamega county has been on high alert since the spike of Covid-19 cases in Kisumu County.
To ensure that the county is not caught unprepared, the Governor has been stepping up efforts to combat the spread of the virus.
The two-term Governor has been equipping the hospitals in different parts of the county to step up their preparedness to curb the spread of the virus.
