Safaricom said it will not give the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) customer data unless laws touching on confidentiality are changed to allow the mining of such information.

The KRA is seeking to gain unrestricted access to taxpayers’ bank and mobile money accounts as part of the efforts to catch tax cheats and improve revenue collection as its targets continue to rise.

“As you are aware, the Constitution of Kenya restricts access to confidential customer information,” Stephen Chege, Safaricom’s corporate affairs director, told the Business Daily in an email response.

“Other laws such as the National Payment Systems Act and the regulations thereunder — which govern M-Pesa — also restrict access to such information unless by a court order.”

Treasury secretary Henry Rotich has, through the Finance Bill 2016, amended a section of the Tax Procedures Act (TPA), laying the ground for KRA’s wish to be granted.