Keroche Breweries heiress and business lady Anerlisa Muigai has come out to condemn the move by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) to close her parents' company - Keroche Breweries - over alleged unpaid taxes.
KRA reportedly shut down the operations of Keroche Breweries after it allegedly failed to remit about Ksh22 million in cumulative taxes accrued since February 2021.
The Naivasha-based company has now threatened to its lay off over 250 staff members in the next seven days if its distribution channel is not reopened by the government.
“We have remained closed and yet we have over 2 million litres of beer worth about Ksh.512 million in our tanks which have fixed costs to a tune of about Ksh.30 million,” Keroche said in a statement.
“This has drained all our resources and unfortunately if nothing is done in the next seven days, we will be forced to drain down all the beer and lay down over 250 direct employees and thousands within our nationwide distribution network.”
Keroche says that its attempts to clear the debt it owes KRA has constantly been interrupted by the taxman who has constantly pushed them to go into "unfriendly" deals. The firm also claims that KRA has also issued a closure notice to 36 banks which since denied them credit to clear the bill.
Reacting to the closure of the firm, Anerlisa said that it pains her to see the company shut down and there is nobody ready to come out and help them.
The Nero Water Company CEO said that it devastates her to see several Keroche employees staring at losing their jobs and livelihood.
"It's so sad that Keroche has been shut down and nobody seems to want to listen, help or negotiate. We (Nero Company) happen to share the same compound with them and I must say, it has been very sad seeing Keroche closed for 2 months and even worse, about 650 people are stranded wondering when Keroche will start being operational and are also at risk of losing their jobs," she said.
She said that the move by the taxman to shut down Keroche is suppressing the strength of entrepreneurs who wish to start a business in Kenya. She said that the move to shut down the company is inhumane and demoralizing.
"How do you get your taxes paid by closing Keroche and on top of that you tell all the banks not to give them a loan, How inhuman can one get? At this point I'll leave everything to God," she said.
