Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) is reported to have asked Safaricom for the right to access individual and companies’ mobile money transactions in one of its fiercest onslaughts on tax cheats. However, Safaricom, which controls the lion's share of the mobile money transactions, has vehemently opposed the move, saying that it is an affront on individuals' privacy. The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has said that unless the laws on confidentiality are changed, mobile money transactions remain a top secret between a subscriber and a telecoms operator. The uptake of mobile money services in the country has picked up, with subscribers transacting close to Sh840.3 billion in the first three months of the year. KRA is of the opinion that some Kenyans have in some way used mobile money transfer services to avoid the taxman’s noose.

Source: Standard Digital July 13, 2016 21:33 UTC