Kenya High Commission In London Racks Up More Than Sh545M In Congestion Charge Debt

By Williams Steve

The Kenya High Commission in London has accrued a whooping £3,260,940 (Kes 545,180,759.35) on Congestion Charging Outstanding Debt. This huge figure places them in position 12 with the US and Japan leading respectively.

The Congestion Charge is a daily fee of £15 if you drive within the Congestion Charge zone in London from 7:00-18:00 Monday through Friday and 12:00-18:00 Saturday, Sunday, and bank holidays. There is no charge between Christmas Day and the New Year’s Day bank holiday.

While the UK government insists it’s a service charge and not a tax, diplomatic sources indicate that the charge is more of a tax hence the reluctance to pay it. Diplomats are accorded wide-ranging benefits and exemptions which include not paying certain taxes on certain goods and services to avoid double taxation under the Vienna Convention.

The unpaid fees and fines have accumulated over more than a decade, making the US the worst offender among foreign diplomats, with embassies in London owing a total of £143.5 million by the end of 2023.

The huge size of the US diplomatic entourage in London is widely believed to have contributed to the massive charge.

In Africa, Nigeria leads other African countries in owing TfL with a whooping £8,551,835 (NGN 16,666,269,295.26) to its name. This is far more than China (£7,936,890) and Russia (£5,998,095). India is the third-largest culprit overall owing a massive £8,551,835. Ghana and Sudan take the third and fourth positions in Africa respectively.

Closer home, Tanzania owes £2,295,470 while Uganda owes £819,290. Togo owes the smallest amount overall and also in Africa with a paltry £40 to its name.

“We and the UK Government are clear that the Congestion Charge is a charge for a service and not a tax. This means that diplomats are not exempt from paying it. The majority of embassies in London do pay the charge, but there remains a stubborn minority who refuse to do so, despite our representations through diplomatic channels. We will continue to pursue all unpaid Congestion Charge fees and related penalty charge notices and are pushing for the matter to be taken up at the International Court of Justice.” TfL noted in its official statement accompanying the statistics release.

A TfL spokesperson was quoted saying: “We are clear that foreign diplomats and consular staff are not exempt from paying the congestion charge. We continue to pursue all unpaid congestion charges and related penalty charge notices.”

A similar phenomenon is parking tickets in New York City where diplomats are notoriously known for refusing to pay their tickets. Much of the debt is from the early 2000s before Mayor Michael Bloomberg cracked down on parking offenses and unpaid fines.