In a country where everything is taxed—the food we eat, the fuel we use, even the little profit from hustles—the mwananchi is expected to pay without question. Miss a tax return, and you are penalized. Fail to comply, and you become an enemy of the state.
But here lies the irony: when it comes to government accountability, excuses suddenly become acceptable. Senior officials have recently admitted that police officers sometimes lack fuel for their vehicles. This isn’t just worrying—it is insulting to Kenyans who sacrifice daily to keep the government afloat.
TO READ MORE STORIES,TAP HERE
How can citizens be taxed to the bone, only to be told to directly fund police operations? If officers approach wananchi asking for fuel money, and we are told this isn’t corruption, then what exactly is it? A government that fails to finance the most basic security operations is failing in its mandate.
This dangerous narrative creates loopholes for abuse. Tomorrow, when a matatu is flagged down, what will stop an officer from demanding “fuel money,” pointing to a Cabinet Secretary’s words as justification? Once normalized, corruption only changes dress—from chai to fuel—but it remains the same vice.
Kenyans already fund the police service through taxes. What they deserve in return is efficiency, accountability, and protection—not excuses. Shifting the burden back to struggling citizens is betrayal, pure and simple.
It is time for the government to seal the leaks, fund public institutions properly, and let citizens feel the impact of their taxes. Anything less is corruption in disguise.
