Ruto Targets Cartels Financing Azimio Rallies

President William Ruto has reiterated that every Kenyan must pay taxes, even financiers that have been funding public rallies for the Azimio la Umoja coalition and skipping paying taxes.

Speaking during the National Assembly Post Election Seminar in Mombasa County on Monday, January 30, Ruto decried that no Kenyan would be considered a special case enough to be exempted from remitting taxes.

According to him, the country cannot continue to function in such a way that the elite group and those in power have the tendency of avoiding paying taxes using their sinister means while those that are downtrodden are forced to pay taxes.

President William Ruto with DPP Noordin Haji and Musalia Mudavadi in Mombasa on January 30, 2023. /WILLIAM RUTO

He noted that the time for those in power who have been avoiding tax dragnets is over and everyone must pay tax, even those who have been financing the Azimio public rallies that have so far been held at Kamukunji and Jacaranda grounds.

“We cannot continue to operate in a space where those in power exempt themselves from paying taxes using all manner of instruments while those who do not have as much power pay tax. The good people who are used to exempting themselves from paying the tax their day is up and every citizen must pay tax.

“It doesn’t matter even if they sponsor demonstrations so that they don’t pay tax, I want to promise them they will pay tax. No more exemptions, this country is not an animal farm where some are more equal than the others," Ruto added.

His remarks came days after he claimed that the Azimio protest rallies have been funded by cartels which have been affecting productivity in the coffee, tea and milk sectors, cartels that he tasked his deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, to deal with.

"I hear it's them (cartels) who are financing the rallies because we ordered them out. Let them organise the rallies but our firms can no longer be the slaves of brokers and cartels who have taken hostage our markets," he stated during a church service held at Kerugoya Stadium in Kirinyaga County on Sunday, January 22.

During the Kamukunji rally on Monday, January 23, Raila called on Kenyans to resist and demand the removal of the punitive taxes that have led to punitive costs of basic products and services including unga, milk, sugar, school books, fuel, electricity, bus fare, paraffin and school fees.

"From today, we call on every Kenyan buying electricity tokens to take a very close look at the statement and see how much of your money actually goes into tokens, how much goes to taxes and how long are we going to live like this," he addressed.

Subsequently, he demanded that the Kenya Kwanza government resigns as it has neither the mandate nor the ability to govern the country and called on Kenyans to resist the UDA regime.