Kenyans, File your Tax Returns

We are now heading into June 30 2011. Do you know that it is time to fill up your returns with KRA. Below are some of the things that you need to remember and where you are not sure contact your accountant or tax consultant.

Who is to fill the returns?
1. All Kenyans
2. All non-Kenyans getting their income from Kenyan employment or business.
What do I need to fill the returns?
1. Dully filled up Individual return form obtainable from Kra website .
2. Disclose all your income.
3. Certified Individual tax card (P9) form- obtainable from your employer.
4. PIN number of your residence landlord if applicable.
5. Evidence of tax paid in advance e.g withholding tax (obtain certificate from where you were paid and the ta withheld).
Where do I take the filled up returns forms?
The return forms once filled up should be submitted to kra office ground floor in Times Towers, Nairobi or any other Kra offices throughout the country or any other designated collection points as KRA may advice from time to time.
What happens if I do not file the returns?
Failure to file returns attracts heavy penalty plus possible prosecution.It is illegal not to file your returns. The deadline is 30th June 2011 but you need not wait till the last day.

One may argue that he/she is not employed. Please note that you can still fill up nil returns. Failure to file return is in itself an offense.

MY ADVICE IS THAT YOU DO THIS EARLY ENOUGH.NOT 30th JUNE 2011

Justice outside Kenya

Why is it that more and more prominent Kenyans are getting summons or banned from foreign countries for crimes committed in Kenya and abroad? These prominent Kenyans who have been summoned this year are:- The Ocampo Six for post election violence summoned to Hague, former Member of Parliament Chris Okemo & James Gichuru former Kenya Power MD for money laundering summoned by UK and now Member of Parliament for Kilome Harun Mwau banned by US for Drug trafficking.

The plain answer is IMPUNITY rules in Kenya, prominent Kenyans are protected while the common citizen faces the full force of law. It is known in Kenya that a petty thief can be jailed for life while prominent Kenyans known for big crimes against humanity walk free, enjoying life and getting richer and richer. Since independence cases of crimes by prominent Kenyans have piled up in courts and parliament, I believe some are now very dusty in archives, others have been trashed and many have since disappeared. Some of those I can name include:- assassinations of Tom Mboya, JM Kariuki, Robert Ouko,Crispin Mbai etc. the Goldenberg saga, Anglo leasing, land grabbers just to name a few.

Media, religious bodies, civil societies, human rights bodies, common citizens have cried for justice, but nothing much is done. Now Kenyans are happy that at long last there is someone who can touch the untouchables in Kenya.

The Catholic Church should cleanse its house

The recent accusation of a priest Renato Kizito of sexually abusing his secretary is shocking but not strange, because this is not the first time he is accused of sexual abuse. In 2009 he was accused of sexually abusing minors at the orphanage he runs at Dagoretti Corner in Nairobi. The secretary underwent a medical examination which confirmed he had been sexually assaulted. Fr. Kizito was also examined by Police Surgeon Zephania Kamau, but was later released when police said the results were Negative. Corruption is still rife in this country especially in the force, if the secretary’s result were positive then it means he was sexually abused and the last person he met before he was drugged was the priest, so who it fooling who?

Many Catholic priests have been accused World wide of sexual abuse, a lot has been said about Brothers and Sisters in the Catholic community, but many have not been reported. There have been claims of Fathers and Brothers fathering children, having girlfriends or abusing their flock. There are many rumors about Sisters and Nuns sleeping with Fathers/Brothers or even the Sisters in Catholic institutions, some even have their uterus removed and even take ARVs. Where there is smoke there is fire, therefore these rumors could be true.

It seems like many are entering in the Priesthood, Brotherhood and becoming Nuns for their own benefit or shying away from family responsibilities, it is no longer a calling. The idea of priests not getting married to serve Christ selflessly is Biblical. Apostle Paul also served God without marrying, in 1st Corinthians chapter 7 he said “It is good for a man not to marry, but since there is so much immorality each man should have his own wife and each woman her husband”. In Verse 8 and 9 he goes on to say “Now to the unmarried and the widow I say; it is good for them to stay unmarried as I am. But if they cannot control themselves they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion. I believe this is why there are splinter groups in the Catholic Church now. We remember Archbishop Emmanuel Mlingo of Zambia who married a Korean Wife Maria Sung and ordained other married priests in the US. Godfrey Shiundu formerly of Kitale Diocese was wedded by a German minister who was a former priest. Shiundu joined a splinter church called Reformed Catholic Church (RCC), which is a US based Catholic breakaway group.

Mathew7:3 say “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” I can say the Catholic Church Worldwide is good at correcting the society. We recently saw it in Kenya when the Catholic Church questioned the morality of new judiciary nominees Chief Justice with a stud in his ear which signifies he is gay and Deputy Chief Justice who support abortion. I think it is high time the Catholic flock led by Pope Benedict XVI start removing the speck in their own eyes, pray for repentance and cleansing of its shepherds then remove the speck from the society. The Catholic Church has the highest following of Christians in the World, it would be sad for them to be led to hell than to Heaven.

Family of Samuel Wanjiru wrangles before burial

The tragic death of Samuel Wanjiru the first Kenyan to win an Olympic Marathon was very unfortunate, a sad end to a World Champion, a life and a promising career cut prematurely. Nevertheless it happened and cannot be reversed. Now Kenyans and the World are waiting for his burial, but it is not known when it will take place why? The answer is obvious, when a prominent man dies, there will always be issues about his death and the most common one is he was killed. If he was married the first culprit is the wife. Even in obvious circumstances where there is a witness to prove that the wife was not involved, like the case of Samuel Wanjiru were there was another woman involved the barmaid who even gave her side of story. The wife will always be blamed because in African set up a man never dies a natural death or of an accident, he is always killed. The first person to cast an accusing finger is normally the mother-in-law, then other in laws. I know in some cases the in laws are right but it is only in rare cases, hence investigations in such cases is appropriate.

Hannah Wanjiru, Samuel`s mother is just behaving like all mothers in law when they loose their sons in tragic circumstances. I think it is high time someone drummed some sense in us women with sons, we get blames from our mothers-in-law for problems with their sons not only death, then when our sons grow old we behave the same way with our daughters in law. It is not always the daughters in laws to blame for problems in the family but men are also to blame for interfering with the family set up by getting into affairs with other women. The worst is bringing them in the house like what happened on the night Wanjiru died.

These burial disputes mostly arise when a person is rich, if Samuel Wanjiru was a poor man, his death and burial would not have been an issue.