Protected Area: Kenyans Face Sh5,000 Fine, Two-Year Jail Term for Loitering in KRA Offices

Kenyans caught loitering in Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) offices without the permission of Commissioner-General will be charged a fine of Sh5,000 or face a jail term of up to two years.

This comes after Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i officially listed KRA headquarters and its offices countrywide as protected areas.

“The areas, places or premises described in the schedule are declared to be protected areas for purposes of the Act and no per­son shall be in the specified areas without permission of the prescribed authority or the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and Coordination of National Government,” CS Matiang’i said in a gazette notice issued under the Protected Areas Order.

The penalty could double to a maximum of Sh10,000 or a prison term of five years or both if the offenders are found to be in possession of arms, ammunition, and explosives, even if they have licenses.

Areas covered under the law include military barracks, weapons factories, govern­ment mines, camps, State House and Lodges, signal stations, military ships, foreign embassies, consulates, Central Bank of Kenya premises, among others.