How M-Pesa records helped unravel tax bribery at KRA
On Techpoint Digest, we discuss how M-Pesa texts helped bust a bribery ring within the KRA, how Starlink is getting closer to legalisation in Cameroon, and how Starlink's South Africa saga continues.
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Privet,<br />
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Victoria from Techpoint here.<br />
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Here’s what I’ve got for you today:<br />
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M-Pesa texts help bust bribery ring inside KRA<br />
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Starlink nears legal entry into Cameroon<br />
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Starlink’s South Africa saga drags on<br />
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M-Pesa texts help bust bribery ring inside KRA<br />
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A web of M-Pesa transactions and incriminating text messages has helped expose a bribery ring involving staff at the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), court documents show. Investigators allege some tax officials colluded with taxpayers and middlemen to launder bribes through M-Pesa under the guise of “soft loans” and merry-go-round contributions to avoid detection.<br />
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The corruption ring didn’t just hide cash. According to evidence presented in court seen by BusinessDaily, tax officers were cutting government revenue by furnishing special clearances or favourable treatment in exchange for mobile payments. Text messages tied to the M-Pesa numbers allegedly used show officials coordinating payments, disguising them as everyday transfers to slip past internal controls.<br />
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M-Pesa, Kenya’s ubiquitous mobile money system, has made it easy to move cash, but investigators say that convenience was exploited here. By masking bribes as small loans or community contributions, the alleged conspirators hoped to fly under the radar of compliance systems. The texts and transaction trails helped prosecutors map out who was paying whom and when, turning the mobile money platform into a key piece of evidence.<br />
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The case underscores a larger headache for KRA as it battles to protect revenue and stamp out corruption within its ranks. The authority has already fired and disciplined staff over graft in recent years and even brought in external partners to tighten oversight. But incidents like this one show how complex corruption can get when it’s buried inside everyday tools like M-Pesa.<br />
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For taxpayers weary of graft and revenue loss, the revelations are both shocking and familiar, raising questions about how far tax cheats and crooked officials will...
