Tourism Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua has censured the Kenya Revenue Authority for chasing tourists away over what he termed as harassment.
The CS explained that tourists are treated harshly by KRA officers upon arrival into the country something he said discourages them from coming to Kenya again.
"When a tourist come, amebeba camera mbili, amebeba viatu, anataka kukuja shopping akifika pale anaambiwa na KRA afungue mfuko yake. Underwear yake inashikwa na kalamu inawekwa kando. Wanatafuta sijui camera mbili, sijui kiatu, sijui hii perfume umeletea nani hapa," Mutua said.
"We harass our visitors when they come to this country at the airport and we wonder why they don't come back."
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"Kwani Rwanda and South Africa don't collect taxes? You go to Dubai they don't harass you. Why are they harassing our visitors here?" he posed.
"Mama chupi yake inatolewa inawekwa hapo kando hadharani na watu wa KRA hadharani. They will not come back to Kenya."
CS Mutua explained that this could be the reason why the country's tourist profile has dropped.
"We have to present the right optics. People have to get that warm feeling. You go to Singapore today, nobody harasses you," he said.
Mutua said he will be working to prevent that mess from repeating itself again so that Kenya's tourism can get back to the top.
"We will ask them whether we close down the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife to focus on other things. But if they want us to collect money and this country becomes rich then they should stop harassing our product."
