Ruto must own the hiring skunk at KRA

Courts have demonstrated that the Kenya Revenue Authority has morphed into a criminal enterprise. Discerning citizens also see the Kenya Kwanza administration as devious conspiracy, a suave political machine oiled by the raw anxieties of tribal self-preservation and financial tokenism that mocks discipline, principle and hard work.

It is a shameless monolith that thrives on the vacuousness of values and cut-throat competition for 30 pieces of silver. It derives its stamina from deceit, the ignorance of its supporters and the unbridled fiat of law-breaking bureaucrats.

Audacious judges have repudiated the Ruto administration and its agencies for breaking the law and offending the Constitution. The Auditor General has also been raising queries on the probity of government officials.

The court judgements and audit reports paint a picture of a government that is impervious to good manners. Take the case of KRA. The authority is a lesson in a rogue leadership that feeds contempt for not only the Constitution but also the wrath of God. It has become a crime scene.

Given the environment and history under which it was written, the 2010 Constitution enshrined and protected a strong Bill of Rights. But there has been a tenacity to attack the Bill of Rights, by State agencies.

Last week, Parliament demanded an investigation on how 133 applicants who are among people who applied for the position of Revenue Service Assistant at the KRA were dismissed on grounds that they were either HIV positive or pregnant.

The probe comes days after the court nullified the recruitment of the 1,406 revenue assistants by the agency after it was found guilty of skewing the hiring in favour of the Kikuyu and Kalenjin communities to the disadvantage of others.

That there exists a State organisation in the 21 Century with such a primordial mindset is mind-boggling and should prick the conscience of right-thinking individuals in government – if any.

And it is not difficult to trace where the leadership of rogue authorities such as KRA find their inspiration and role models. President William Ruto and his Deputy Rigathi Gachagua are on record saying they will violate court orders.

And they don’t seem keen to reprimand the illegalities being perpetrated by their appointees because they serve the interests of what the administration considers its “real stakeholders.”
That is why we are asking Ruto to own the seemingly well-fattened hiring skunk at KRA.