Rights Group Plans Lawsuit Against UDA Over Alleged Tax Evasion and Misuse of Public Funds

The commission accuses the party of serious financial irregularities, including failure to remit taxes and improper handling of public money. According to KHRC, these issues were highlighted in a recent report by the Auditor-General.

The main allegation centres on Pay As You Earn (PAYE) taxes. KHRC claims that although the party paid out more than 128 million shillings in net salaries to its staff, it did not deduct or send the required taxes to the Kenya Revenue Authority. This has resulted in an outstanding tax bill of about 69 million shillings covering the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 financial years. The group further alleges that UDA failed to make other mandatory contributions, such as those to the National Social Security Fund and the Social Health Insurance Fund, putting workers at risk of losing important benefits.

UDA is the ruling party and receives the largest portion of funding from the Political Parties Fund. In the 2025/2026 financial year alone, it was allocated over 789 million shillings. KHRC argues that because these funds come from public resources, the party has a duty to manage them responsibly and follow all legal requirements on taxation and deductions. The commission says the reported failures amount to a breach of both the Constitution and other laws governing public finance.

In addition to filing a lawsuit, KHRC has called on several oversight bodies—including the Kenya Revenue Authority, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, and the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties—to investigate the matter and take appropriate action. The case is likely to draw significant attention as it touches on accountability in the use of taxpayer money by political parties. As of now, there has been no public response from UDA to the planned legal action. The outcome of the case could have wider implications for how political parties handle public allocations in the future.