The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) has said it plans to go to court against the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) over claims involving unpaid taxes and alleged misuse of public money.
In a statement released on Sunday, KHRC claimed that findings from the Auditor General, Nancy Gathungu, showed that UDA paid over Ksh128 million in net salaries during the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 financial years but did not deduct or forward Pay As You Earn (PAYE) taxes as required.
According to KHRC, this led to an estimated tax shortfall of about Ksh69 million.
KHRC stated that it intends to sue UDA and some of its officials, accusing them of failing to follow constitutional and legal requirements.
The commission also argued that the party, despite being the largest recipient of public funding through the Political Parties Fund, did not meet several statutory obligations.
The rights body further noted that in the 2025/2026 financial year alone, UDA reportedly received more than Ksh789 million from public funds. KHRC expressed concern that such resources, which come from taxpayers, may not have been properly accounted for or used in line with the law.
In addition, KHRC alleged that UDA did not remit several mandatory deductions for its employees. These include withholding tax, the public procurement capacity-building levy, contributions to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), payments to the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), and the housing levy.
The commission said this failure could have affected workers by denying them important social protection benefits and entitlements.
Interestingly, KHRC also pointed out what it sees as a contradiction, saying that while the party has publicly supported the affordable housing agenda, it allegedly did not remit the housing levy for its own staff.
The commission claims these actions violate several laws, including the Income Tax Act, the Affordable Housing Act, the NSSF Act, the Public Finance Management Act, and regulations governing procurement levies.
KHRC warned that failure by political parties and public institutions to meet tax and statutory obligations weakens essential public services such as education and healthcare, which are already struggling with major funding gaps.
As part of its next steps, KHRC has urged the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) to recover all outstanding taxes, including penalties. It also wants the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) to reassess whether UDA should continue receiving public funding.
At the same time, it has called on the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to investigate possible misuse of public resources.
Finally, KHRC has asked the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), together with the other agencies, to take legal action against any UDA officials found responsible if the allegations are confirmed.
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