NAIROBI, Kenya – Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has scored a major interim victory in his battle with the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) after the Tax Appeals Tribunal directed the taxman to immediately lift agency notices placed on his bank accounts.
In a ruling delivered by Tribunal chairperson Dr. Rodney Oluoch, the panel ordered KRA to remove the agency notices issued to Equity Bank and Co-operative Bank, effectively allowing Sonko to regain access to his funds pending the outcome of his appeal in a long-running tax dispute.
The Tribunal found that the taxes at the centre of the standoff remain contested and therefore cannot be enforced at this stage.
Citing Section 52(2) of the Tax Procedures Act, the bench held that KRA acted prematurely by attempting to collect taxes that are yet to be conclusively determined.
“The taxes subject to the said agency notices are disputed and not yet determined, hence not collectable pending the hearing and determination of this appeal,” Dr. Oluoch ruled.
Sonko’s lawyers had accused KRA of issuing the notices unlawfully, arguing that the move paralysed his financial operations by freezing millions of shillings without procedural fairness.
The Tribunal agreed, granting him temporary reprieve as it considers the substantive issues raised in the appeal.
The latest ruling means the former governor can access his bank accounts as the Tribunal weighs his challenge against KRA’s tax assessments — a matter likely to set the stage for an intense legal showdown in the weeks ahead.
