Keroche Breweries CEO Tabitha Karanja and husband released on bail of Sh10 mn, Sh 2 mn

The Keroche Breweries owners Tabitha Karanja and her husband Joseph Karanja have been released on a cash bail of Sh10 million and Sh2 million respectively, according to local media reports. The court has ordered Keroche Breweries to deposit Sh15 million in seven days failure to which directors with the exception of CEO (Tabitha Karanja) will be arrested.

Tabitha Karanja and her husband Joseph Karanja were arrested yesterday from their factory in Naivasha by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officers on the charges of tax evasion. According to local media reports, Karen Hospital disapproved the detention of Joseph Karanja saying that he has a serious medical condition.

The couple has been arrested over the charges of tax evasion worth Sh14 billion. It has been alleged that they evaded tax on various products manufactured and sold by Keroche Breweries Limited during the period of January 2015 to June 2019.

Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji ordered the arrest and prosecution of Keroche Breweries owners Tabitha Karanja and her husband Joseph Karanja. According to the DPP, an audit by KRA established that Keroche Breweries Limited evaded taxes by failing to pay Excise Duty and Value Added Tax (VAT) on its various products including Crescent Vodka, Viena Ice and Summit beers as well as duty stamps.

"Having independently reviewed the file and applying the provisions of the National Prosecution Policy, I am satisfied that there is sufficient evidence and that it is in the public interest to charge the suspects listed herein with 10 counts of Tax Fraud, contrary to section 97 (a) and (c) of the Tax Procedures Act, 2015," said the DPP.