Junior policewoman who got Sh87m in NYS 2 scandal seized

Corporal Caroline Mango (centre) with her daughters Peris Ajow and Briana Ajow, whose companies received over Sh87 million in the NYS 2 scandal, but were never arrested, only for KRA to discover they had not been paying taxes. PHOTO | POOL | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Her companies and those linked to her children received a combined Sh87.7 million from NYS.
  • Carrottexx Enterprises received Sh1.9 million from NYS and its director is listed as Caroline Atieno Mango.

The blue Toyota Prado that announces the presence of Corporal Caroline Mango must be the envy of fellow police officers — many of whom are agitating for better pay — each time she drives into or out of the Gigiri Police Station, where she lives.

Before her Facebook page was taken down at the height of investigations into the second National Youth Service (NYS) scandal in May 2018, it was a photo album of all the good things that money can buy.

Then the junior police officer’s bank accounts were temporarily frozen, but no charges were filed against her for receiving part of the money that saw taxpayers lose Sh10 billion.

SH87.7 MILLION

Her companies and those linked to her children received a combined Sh87.7 million from NYS.

And as 44 directors of companies and civil servants, including former Youth Affairs Principal Secretary Lilian Omollo, continue to brave the cold wooden benches of the courts, Ms Mango has been walking free.

But unknown to her, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) had, months before the NYS scandal came to light, asked the Kenya Revenue Authority to investigate six accounts belonging to Ms Mango and her three children over suspicious transactions.

“Reference is hereby made to your letter Reference DRP/TPS/OPS/9/2/47 dated September 3, 2017 forwarding details of firms whose tax registration information was requested. This is to inform you that the companies listed below are under investigations as a result of transactions with the Ministry of Devolution,” said Mr John Lokolol, EACC’s deputy director for forensic investigations, in a letter to KRA on November 17, 2017.

TAX AUDIT

“This is to recommend that you undertake a tax audit on these companies with a view to determining and recovering the taxes due,” added Mr Lokolol.

Among the companies found with questionable transactions was Maanti Logistics, whose director is listed as Caroline Mango, which received Sh26.8 million from NYS.

Carrottexx Enterprises received Sh1.9 million from NYS and its director is listed as Caroline Atieno Mango.

Then Jupecar Garments, whose director is listed as Caroline Ajow Mango, received Sh5.6 million. Interestingly, the ID numbers of the names listed as directors of the three companies are similar.

Three other companies — Sallijow Enterprises, Iantex Enterprises and Pejows Enterprises — were also placed under investigation. Sallijow, which received Sh18.2 million under suspicious circumstances from NYS, has Briana Sally Ajow as its director.

Iantex, which received Sh29.9 million from NYS, has Ian Robert Ajow as its director, while Pejows, which received Sh5.3 million from NYS, has Peris Anyango Ajow as its director.

TAX EVASION

The Nation has established that Peris Anyango Ajow, Ian Robert Ajow and Briana Sally Ajow are the children of Ms Caroline Mango.

Cumulatively, the family made Sh87.7 million from the NYS.

Whether the millions were received fraudulently and why no action was taken against them is a question detectives are now trying to get answers to. On Tuesday night, detectives attached to the KRA arrested Ms Mango over tax evasion.

This is said to have prompted the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to renew its interest in the police officer and detectives have already been assigned to undertake parallel investigations into her financial transactions.

KRA, which has continuously missed its tax targets, has in the past two months been in overdrive to net tax cheats with the aim of recovering Sh250 billion said to have been lost in the past two years.

VALUE ADDED TAX

The taxman, for example, missed the target for the 2018/2019 year ended June 2018 by Sh106 billion, while that for the years ended June 2017 and June 2016 fell short by Sh66.6 billion and Sh12.4 billion.

But since July, KRA has taken 152 cases to court over tax evasion amounting to Sh56 billion.

“There is enough money in this economy that we don’t even need to borrow. I know where the money is and I am going for it,” KRA’s new Commissioner-General James Mburu told the Nation in a recent interview.

Yesterday, Eldoret businessman Abdifaisal Abdulahi was charged in an Eldoret court for failing to remit Value Added Tax (VAT) amounting to Sh7.1 million.

Mr Faisal’s company, Keflogic Systems Limited, was in 2014 and 2015 awarded a tender to install street lighting in Uasin Gishu County.

He also faced a separate charge of failing to file annual tax returns and was released on a Sh2 million bond by Eldoret Senior Resident Magistrate Emily Kigen.