President William Ruto welcomed the name Zakayo, coined by Kenyans on Twitter (KOT) in response to proposed tax hikes, on Friday, May 26.
Ruto made the remark while filing his tax returns at the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) offices in Time Towers.
READ: Ruto puts KRA staff on the spot for aiding tax evasion
He reacted to demands that the government establish a tax collectors’ day, comparable to taxpayers’ day.
“We usually have the taxpayers’ day in October. My suggestion is that we also have a tax collectors’ day. Probably at State House?” one of the delegates suggested.
“Since I have already been referred to as Zakayo in some areas, maybe, we can have a tax collectors’ day,” Ruto replied.
Zakayo is a Swahili term for Zacchaeus, the crafty Biblical Tax Collector who swore to return four times the money he had overcharged taxpayers.
The Zakayo moniker was coined by Kenyans on social media in response to the Ruto administration’s tax measures.
Users on the internet compared the President to Zacchaeus, who climbed the sycamore tree to see Jesus.
READ: President Ruto leads Kenyans in filing tax returns at KRA offices
Notably, the term became viral after the Finance Bill 2023 was presented to Kenyans for public comment, sparking outrage from taxpayers.
President William Ruto on tax evasion
President William Ruto on Friday accused Kenya Revenue Authority management and staff of colluding with some taxpayers to evade taxes.
The president, in a no-holds-barred speech at Times Tower, moments after filing his tax returns, said “there are some KRA staff who do not work for the government of Kenya, they work for themselves”.
“Collusion, wanton bribe-taking and general corruption continue to pervade operations of KRA, facilitating tax evasion, massive leakages of potential revenue and inability to meet revenue targets,” the president said.
“It has also been noted that KRA has not embraced a culture of supporting and facilitating taxpayers, alternative dispute resolution and the deployment of efficient technologies to improve revenue performance.”
