KRA Reopens Keroche Following Court Order

The Kenya Revenue Authority said it will reopen the factory’s plant in Naivasha on Friday 29, after closure of about 2 months.

Following a court order by Justice Abigail Mshila who declined KRA’s Counsel to address the court unless initial orders to re-open the plant are complied with.

“Therefore, based on the directions of the Honourable Abigail Mshila, the Keroche factory will be opened tomorrow (Friday) at 11am,” KRA said in a statement.

The Court has set the hearing for the contempt of court case for August 2.

Keroche and KRA have been engaged in a tax impasse for more than two months which has seen both parties move in and out of court after the authority shut the brewer’s factory.

 Over 400 workers who were laid off following Keroche’s closure  can now heave a sigh of relief following the reopening order.

KRA shut the plant after the brewer failed to honour a repayment plan that would have seen it settle Sh957 million shillings in 2 years..

Owned by the Karanja family, Keroche previously linked its woes to a Sh351 million demand, but the KRA said the brewer owes the State more than Sh22 billion in unpaid taxes.

On July 15, the High Court  ordered KRA to re-open the Keroche Breweries plant in Naivasha pending the hearing and determination of a case pitting the two parties.

KRA then moved to Court on July 23 seeking to stop the order, Justice Mshila declined to certify the case as urgent as sought by KRA and instead directed the case to be heard by Justice Mabeya on September 22.

Tabitha Karanja,CEO, Keroche on July 25 moved to Court seeking the arrest of KRA Commissioner General Githii Mburu for failure to reopen the brewery.

The factory is set to reopen at 11am, today Friday 29th, July 2022.