Nairobi: Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) from Kajiado North have agreed with the County Revenue Department to hold ward-level consultations with traders to address concerns over the ongoing revenue compliance exercise.
According to Kenya News Agency, the agreement was reached during a meeting chaired by Revenue Department Director General, Vera Moraa, following complaints from traders over the conduct of county enforcement officers during compliance inspections. Ngong Ward MCA, Mbiriri Mwaura, stated that the forums will bring together revenue officers and traders to discuss compliance requirements, improve communication, and address concerns raised by the business community.
Mwaura emphasized that the meetings will focus on ensuring traders are treated professionally during inspections and sensitizing them to the county’s cashless payment system for licenses and other revenue payments. He stressed that traders should not make cash payments to revenue officers, noting that all payments must be made through approved cashless channels.
Additionally, Mwaura mentioned that traders will be trained to identify authorized revenue officers and inspection teams, as well as detect fake licenses and fraudulent documents amid reports of impersonation during previous enforcement operations. He noted that enforcement officers will focus on verifying compliance and issuing seven-day notices to businesses that have not met licensing requirements instead of carrying out immediate closures.
Oloolua Ward MCA, Eli Gor, urged traders experiencing harassment or misconduct by county officers to report such incidents. He assured that MCAs would continue engaging the county government to ensure compliance measures are implemented fairly. The consultations follow complaints from traders over the manner in which the compliance exercise has been conducted, with business owners calling for more engagement and less confrontational enforcement.
County officials confirmed that the ward-level meetings will be rolled out across Kajiado North, although dates for the forums have not yet been announced.
