Why Money Collected From Tourists Was Banked in Swiss Accounts – Gov’t
The Kenyan government has responded to a news report that claimed billions of shillings collected from foreign visitors were sent to Swiss accounts in a suspicious way.
On Monday, April 14, Daily Nation published a report alleging that Ksh6.5 billion collected from the Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) programme was moved to a Swiss bank. The report compared this situation to the well-known 2014 Eurobond scandal.
However, the Government Spokesperson, Isaac Mwaura, issued a statement on the same day to explain what happened.
“There was a piloting phase for the eTA programme, which was a collaboration between the Kenyan government and a Swiss company,” Mwaura said. “The piloting has now been completed.”
Why Was the Money in Swiss Accounts?
According to the government, the Swiss company was hired to manage the new eTA system during the pilot phase. This company collected the Ksh6.5 billion between August 2024 and February 2025, and was paid Ksh1.5 billion for its services—about 23% of the total revenue.
This arrangement caused public concern because the money was not sent directly to Kenya’s Consolidated Fund, which is required by the Kenyan Constitution to hold all public money.
What Is the Consolidated Fund?
Article 206(1) of the Constitution says that all money collected by or for the national government must go into the Consolidated Fund, unless there is a legal reason not to. Keeping funds outside this system goes against Kenya’s financial and transparency laws.
Why Money Collected From Tourists Was Banked in Swiss Accounts – Gov’t
