The phrase “Nothing is certain except death and taxes” has never felt more literal (cue collective WUEH!). Taxation is supposed to fuel national development, but somehow, our current system feels less like nation-building and more like an elaborate heist. Despite the painfully high tax rates, inefficiency, corruption, and waste ensure that essential services remain underfunded, while citizens bear an ever-growing financial burden. Welcome to the taxation paradox, where the more we pay, the less we seem to get.
Kenyans Turned Sisyphus
Before we dive in, let me sidetrack a bit and tell you about Sisyphus. In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was a cunning and deceitful king who thought he could outsmart the gods. As punishment, they condemned him to roll a massive boulder up a hill, only for it to roll back down every time he neared the top—for ETERNITY. No matter how hard he worked, his efforts were always undone. Sounds familiar?
Now, this does seem like a fitting punishment for a deceitful ruler (side-eye), but why are ordinary wananchi the ones living out this nightmare? One would assume that higher taxes mean better—and I mean waaaay better—service delivery. Instead, we get a cruel loop: high taxes stifle businesses, kill jobs, and shrink the tax base. The government, seeing a revenue shortfall, raises taxes again. And so, like Sisyphus, we roll our financial boulder uphill, only for structural inefficiencies and corruption to push it right back down.
Public Services on Life Support
If we are taxed so heavily, why is it easier to find a unicorn than to access basic services? A friend recently told me that her baby couldn’t get the polio vaccine because the supply had run out. I don’t need to spell out how serious that is. Meanwhile, dialysis patients were left stranded because of the SHIF-SHA drama (someone called it SHI-SHA). People literally lost their lives so that someone could prove a point.
Our doctors, though world-class in skill, are forced to work in public hospitals where medicines are as rare as public officials without corruption scandals. Salary delays, lack of equipment, and general neglect drive them out of the system, leaving ordinary citizens scrambling for expensive private healthcare—a luxury many can’t afford. Or even worse, they, fall prey to quakcs and hole-in-the-wall “clinics” who put them in even more risk.
Beyond healthcare, other public services are in freefall. Roads resemble obstacle courses, public utilities like water and electricity are unreliable, and government spending continues to prioritize very important matters (read: political self-preservation) over actual public needs. At this point, the disconnect between taxation and service delivery is so stark it feels like a national inside joke.
Taxation as a Human Rights Issue
This is bigger than just economics. Our taxation system is actively undermining fundamental rights like access to a decent livelihood, healthcare, and economic security. When over-taxation forces families to choose between food, rent, and medical care, we have a serious problem. Shrinking disposable income leads to rising financial stress, declining mental health, and an increase in crime as desperate youth seek survival by any means necessary.
And then there’s the great Kenyan migration. Faced with bleak prospects, many young and skilled professionals are fleeing the country in search of better opportunities abroad. Brain drain? More like a full-on brain exodus.
The Way Forward
Kenya urgently needs taxation and governance reforms. Instead of playing who-can-tax-the-citizens-the-most, the government should focus on efficiency, accountability, and economic growth. Here’s a thought:
- End Corruption (theft): Ensure tax revenue funds essential services, not luxurious lifestyles.
- Support Business Growth: Reduce the tax burden so businesses can survive and create jobs.
- Invest in Public Services: Properly fund healthcare, infrastructure, and education so we get actual value for our money.
Conclusion: A Call to Action
We don’t oppose taxation; we oppose a system that taxes us into poverty while delivering nothing in return. Without urgent reforms, we risk a future where citizens are, quite literally, taxed to death.
Until the next doodle – stay curious!
Yours, the #DoodlingLawyer.
