Three Kenyan churches have joined the richest club of taxpayers. The three have been doing business with turnover of Sh. 350 million to Sh. 1 billion.
They include:
1). Nairobi Pentecostal Church (NPC).
2). The Coptic Church
3). Seventh Day Adventist.
The listing places them in the same income league as Kirinyaga Construction, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and Google Kenya, among others.
Churches are required to file annual returns but are exempt from most taxes as provided for by the Non-Governmental Organisations and Co-ordination Act.
NGOs, including churches, are exempt from taxes in a process that involves co-ordination from various government agencies. An organisation has to be registered and provide evidence of its activities before it can be exempt from taxes. However, battles for control of the businesses run by churches have raised suspicions that some of the investments are initiated with self-enrichment as the primary objective.
NPC, African Independent Pentecostal Church of Africa (AIPCA) and the Catholic Church are some of the institutions that have been rocked by major property disputes, with some of their clergy accused in court of fraud and embezzlement.
Leaders of NPC, which is also known as Christ is The Answer Ministries (CITAM), have for instance been sued for breach of trust by its members and a contractor in relation to a controversial housing project in Nairobi’s Karen estate.
