Listen to This Article Enhance your reading experience by listening to this article.

The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) is considering settling a Ksh20 million tax evasion case against National Youth Service (NYS) graft suspect Phylis Ngirita out of court.

Prosecuting counsel James Gachoka told Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Bernard Ochoi that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has received a letter from the KRA indicating that the two parties are negotiating.

“The accused person was invited by KRA for purposes of compounding the taxes. We urge the court to grant an adjournment awaiting further directions,” Gachoka said.

The case was coming for further hearing and the prosecutor stated that only two prosecution witnesses are remaining.

Ngirita did not oppose the adjournment by the prosecution.

The request was granted and the magistrate fixed the matter for mention on February 15, 2023, when the prosecution will update the court on the progress of the negotiations between the businesswoman and the taxman.

Ngirita’s NYS case

Ngirita, who is charged in the second NYS corruption scandal, is accused of not paying taxes amounting to Ksh 20 million between 2016 and 2017 arising from earnings received from the parastatal.

She was arraigned in court in 2019 with several counts of evading tax where she allegedly failed to submit the Ksh7 million and Ksh13 million taxes in 2016 through her company trading as Njewanga Enterprises.

Ngirita is also facing other graft charges together with her family members at the Anti-Corruption Court over siphoning millions of shillings at NYS without supplying any goods.

In the graft case, Ngirita together with her mother, two sisters including Ann Ngirita, former PS Lilian Omollo, and other former employees of NYS are on trial for the loss of Ksh 60 million from the NYS for supplying ‘air’.