Virus effects on economy may force relaxation of controls
Kenyans filing tax returns at Kenya Revenue Authority, iTax Support Centre at Railways, Nairobi, on June 30. Data from the Treasury indicates that tax collection for April dropped by Sh20 billion due to the impacts of the pandemic on the economy. PHOTO | DENNIS ONSONGO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Kenya’s economy is projected to take a big hit from the pandemic, bigger than what the post-election violence and the global economic meltdown of 2007 did.
Latest tax numbers show that collections dropped by Sh20 billion in April, compared to a similar period last year.
The worst hit are firms in the tourism, hospitality, aviation and horticulture sectors.
Last week, dozens of women who wash clothes for a living, popularly known as mama fua, held a solemn demonstration in Nairobi, protesting against their loss of jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
But their protests went largely unnoticed since almost everyone in the country is experiencing their own pain as a direct or indirect consequence of the health crisis.
