Kenya Revenue Authority

Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), is an agency of the Government of Kenya that is responsible for the assessment, collection and accounting of all revenues that are due to the government in accordance with the laws of Kenya.[1]

Kenya Revenue Authority
Agency overview
Formed1995
JurisdictionGovernment of Kenya
HeadquartersTimes Tower, Haile Selassie Avenue, Nairobi, Kenya
Agency executives
  • Anthony Mwaura, Chairperson of the Board of Directors
  • Humphrey W. Mulongo, Commissioner General
Parent agencyMinistry of the National Treasury and Economic Planning
Websitehttp://www.kra.go.ke/

History

The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA)[2] was established by an Act of Parliament, the Kenya Revenue Authority Act, which became effective on 1 July 1995. The Authority is charged with collecting revenue on behalf of the Government of Kenya.[1]

The Authority's core operations are:-

  1. To assess, collect and account for all revenues in accordance with the written laws and the specified provisions of the written laws.
  2. To advise on matters relating to the administration of, and collection of revenue under the written laws or the specified provisions of the written laws.
  3. To perform such other functions in relation to revenue as the Cabinet Secretary responsible for matters relating to finance may direct.

Recently, the government of Kenya proposed the renaming of the agency from the current KRA to the Kenya Revenue Service(KRS) in order to portray the agency as a service provider to the citizenry as opposed to a powerful authority.

Organizational structure

The organization is divided into seven major departments, each headed by a Commissioner:

  1. Customs & Border Control Department (C&BC)
  2. Domestic Taxes Department (DTD)
  3. Intelligence & Strategic Operations Department (I&SO)
  4. Investigations & Enforcement Department (I&E)
  5. Strategy, Innovation & Risk Management Department (SIRM)
  6. Corporate Support Services Department (CSS)
  7. Legal Services & Board Coordination Department (LS&BC)

In addition to the seven major departments, the Authority has the following four other departments to harmonize operations and efficiency.[1] (a) Transformation and Leadership Office (b) Kenya School of Revenue Administration (c) Internal Audit Department (d) Marketing & Communication Department.

To increase tax compliance percentages and encourage more people to file their taxes, the Kenya Revenue Authority has an elaborate online portal[3] that allows citizens to log in and either file tax returns, check their penalties[4] or apply for a certificate of tax compliance. This is in line with the Kenyan government's efforts to automate service delivery through the e-Citizen initiative and avoid long, inconvenient physical queues.

Regional divisions

To ease tax assessment and collection and to take services closer to the people, the agency maintains six service regions as listed below:[1][5]

  1. North Rift Region, which is headquartered in Eldoret
  2. South Rift Region, which is headquartered in Nakuru.
  3. Western Region, which is headquartered in Kisumu.
  4. Southern Region, with headquarters in Mombasa.
  5. Northern Region, with headquarters in Embu.
  6. Central Region, which is headquartered in Nyeri.
  7. Nairobi Region, which is headquartered in Nairobi.

Governance

The current Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Kenya Revenue Authority is Anthony Mwaura. The Commissioner General as from 22 August 2023, is Humphrey Wattanga.[6]

Football club

The KRA owns a football club called Ushuru F.C.,[7] which competes in the Kenyan Premier League.[8]

Kenya School of Revenue Administration (KESRA-KRA)

Kenya School of Revenue Administration (KESRA) is the Kenya Revenue Authority’s premier training school specializing in Tax and Customs Administration, Fiscal Policy and Management. The School is one of the only four World Customs Organization (WCO) accredited Regional Training Centres (RTCs) in Africa. [9]

See also

References
  1. KRA (22 October 2016). "Kenya Revenue Authority: About The Authority". Nairobi: Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  2. "About Us - KRA". www.kra.go.ke. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  3. "Kenya Revenue Authority". itax.kra.go.ke. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  4. "How to Check KRA penalties | Mojapedia". 8 May 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  5. KRA (22 October 2016). "List of All Offices of Kenya Revenue Authority" (PDF). Nairobi: Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  6. "Former revenue allocation commissioner Humphrey Wattanga appointed KRA boss". Nation. 22 August 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  7. "SPORTS - KRA". www.kra.go.ke. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  8. Wandera, Gilbert (12 August 2015). "Gor Mahia FC 2 - 0 Ushuru: Penniless K'Ogalo leave taxmen bruised in their pursuit of KPL glory". The Standard (Kenya). Nairobi. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  9. "Kenya School of Revenue Administration". Retrieved 15 July 2019.
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