The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Wednesday, January 18, arrested six suspects in connection with the production of fake tax stamps.
In a crackdown dubbed ‘Operation Uchumi,’ DCI officers raided local businesses and recovered local and foreign tax stamps, including those of Tanzania Revenue Authority and Uganda Revenue Authority.
The detectives who conducted the crackdown on businesses manufacturing fake counterfeits noted that the suspects were arrested while in the act.
"The suspects were rounded up in different parts of the city and counterfeit stamps were recovered as evidence," DCI explained on Twitter.
According to DCI, one of the suspects who was arrested at his residence in Thindigua, was a civilian firearm holder with a Glock pistol loaded with 9 rounds of ammunition. It was confiscated.
The suspects were processed at Muthaiga Police Station and arraigned in court on Wednesday, January 18, 2023.
Operation Uchumi came against the backdrop of President William Ruto's order in which he asked police officers to mount up a serious crackdown on unscrupulous business entities.
President William Ruto on Wednesday, November 9, 2022, sought the intervention of the National Police Service crackdown on tax evaders and counterfeit goods.
In response to the president's directive, the then-acting Inspector General Noor Gabow ordered a countrywide crackdown and warned unscrupulous businesses to stop the production of fake stamps.
“This follows the detection of numerous tax evasion schemes around the country which deny the government due revenue to fund public services. The crackdown is to commence with immediate effect under the coordination of respective commanders at all levels,” Gabow ordered.
On Sunday, November 20, 2022, President William Ruto outlined a new revenue target, in which he indicated that Kenya was performing well below its peers in the middle-income category and called on the taxman to up its efforts in revenue collection.
"Countries like ours in the middle-income category raise between 20 and 25 per cent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in terms of revenue, but for us we are at 14 per cent," the President indicated.
