The current administration is committed to bringing legislative amendments to the fiscal policy through the Finance Bill, 2023, and the Budget Policy Statement. President William Ruto noted that the changes in the fiscal policy would introduce the National Tax Policy within the next three months

In a bid to ease pressure on the shilling currently depreciating in value against the dollar, the government has adopted a government-to-government deal on oil importation. In a statement, Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum Davis Chirchir said the government went into an agreement with

Kenya Taxpayers’ burden of keeping Kenya Kwanza CASs in office Kenyan taxpayers will spend more than half a billion shillings annually on salaries and benefits for the 50 Chief Administrative Secretaries (CAS) whose names were forwarded to Parliament for approval on Thursday, putting more strain

Kenya City Hall turns to Safaricom for revenue collection Safaricom has inked a two-year deal with City Hall to offer a payment platform for Nairobi County services in a move set to lower pilferages in collecting taxes and levies. The telco says it will develop

Second-hand clothes or  ‘mitumba’ as they are popularly known in Kenya, are disposed of clothes previously worn in developed countries and imported to countries such as Kenya and other countries in Africa where they look fashionable and appealing, hence ‘trashion’. Many are familiar with the

China Square is a retail supermarket at Unicity Mall off Thika Superhighway and is owned by Kenyatta University. The mall was conceived as a project to bring in funds to the university but since its opening in 2016 has not attracted a lot of footprint

The Kenya Revenue Authority on Thursday, 23rd February 2023 communicated the new management team after the resignation of Githii Mburu. In addition to his departure, other Commissioners were replaced. These include; Lilian Nyawanda (Commissioner, of Customs and Border Control), Terra Saidimu (Commissioner, Intelligence & Strategic

Kenya Nairobi plans new zoning policy as exclusivity wanes Nairobi is considering a new zoning policy, which will reclassify some estates as residential or mixed-use neighbourhoods at a time some suburbs are coming under pressure from a previous reclassification that has hurt their exclusivity. Speaking

Taxation in Kenya has taken a political twist in a week that saw President William Ruto train his guns on former President Uhuru Kenyatta and businesses associated with his family. Speaking a day after Azimio leader Raila Odinga held a rally at Jacaranda grounds, Ruto

Mr Ibrahim is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Sunculture Kenya Limited, a climate, solar, agriculture, food systems and security, water, financing and Internet of Things firm. He is also an advisor to Ezra Venture Studio, a team and network of company builders and

Mr Kamiru is currently the Head of Governance, Risk and Compliance, at Jubilee Allianz General Insurance Limited. He is a Finance Management and Risk Management professional with over 27 years of demonstrated leadership and management experience in the Kenyan insurance industry. Mr Kamiru also has

Dr Too is the Director, Graduate Programs (LLM and LLD) at the Strathmore University Law School. She has also previously served as the Dean, Kabarak University Law School. In social service, Dr Too is the Chairperson of Kipteris Girls High School Board of Management. She

        Wilkister Simiyu Ms. Wilkister Simiyu is the Company Secretary and Head of Legal Services at the Kenya Seed Company. She has over 10 years’ work experience both as a practicing advocate and an in- house counsel having worked with Kitiwa &

PUBLIC SECTOR Appointments: Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration, Kithure Kindiki, has appointed: Silas K. Sachida, Masika M. Mukuyuni, Geoffrey Wanyoike, and Moses Mucheru Hopkins M. Hoyt to be fingerprint experts.   Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development, Zachariah Njeru,

The global economy has gone digital. This has increased the issue of tax avoidance and tax equity and sparked an increase in digital taxes worldwide, therefore increasing the number of challenges to trade law. Kenya is one of the nations that have rolled out a

In the financial year ended June 2022, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) recorded a historic high of KSh2.031 trillion against a revenue target of KSh1.882 trillion, representing a 21.7 per cent growth and the highest ever in its history. Despite this tremendous performance, the government

West Pokot The Governor of West Pokot County gazetted the West Pokot County Executive Committee Members (CECMs) responsible for the matters respectively specified in the second column of the Schedule.The governor has also appointed a County Secretary as shown in the Schedule.   Siaya County The

Significant political events of the week:  Wednesday, October 26 1. All the 24 Cabinet Secretary nominees were approved by the National Assembly and the names were forwarded to President Ruto for appointment. Thursday, October 27 1.     The 24 Cabinet Secretary appointees took the

By Grace Wandera Once again, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) is planning to mark the month-long taxpayers’ celebrations in the traditional month of October. A look at this year’s theme “Leaving no one behind” provokes some interesting thoughts.  Given that the payment of taxes is

The only feasible way to get money to pay for government expenditure on the products and services that most of us need is through taxes. However, establishing an effective and fair tax system is far from easy, especially for developing nations that seek to integrate

The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has announced the establishment of an advanced forensic laboratory that will provide the authority the capability to access financial data from taxpayers’ computers and mobile phones, in a bid to detect tax evasion and to reduce financial fraud.  The Kenyan

The Tax Talk Series hosted by the Kenya Revenue Authority held a webinar on April 8, 2022, to discuss the post budget effects on taxes. The session which lasted for close to an hour was moderated by Nixon Omondi – Manager, Digital Economy, Tax Office.

By Brian Kuira Recent media reports that the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) would train its eyes on taxpayers who display luxurious lifestyles on social media but under-declare their income sparked a heated debate among Kenyans.  A section of Kenyans termed the move a misplaced priority.

The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has recorded an above-target revenue performance in the first half of the Financial Year 2021/2022 after collecting KShs. 976.659 billion against a target of KShs. 929.127 billion thanks to higher tax compliance. Patriotic taxpayers keen on facilitating national development allowed

On January 1, 2022, several key tax amendments contained in the Finance Act, 2021 (the Act) took effect. We take a look at these changes and the likely impact on taxpayers. Requirement for multinational enterprises to file returns on activities in other jurisdictions An ultimate

The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has welcomed the highest number of decorations ever accorded to its staff members; by the State at the recent 58th Jamhuri Day Celebrations. In recognition of the Tax Administration Authority’s exemplary performance in revenue mobilisation, KRA officers received a total of

By: Grace Wandera Brands have since time immemorial invested in every opportunity available to enhance their presence and reputation among the target market. Maintaining a good reputation and presence is among key priorities for every brand. While a number of years ago brand consciousness was

The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) announced that it is monitoring social media posts in a bid to enhance tax compliance and nab tax cheats who have been posting their lavish lifestyles, cars and assets online. The move has elicited mixed reactions from Kenyans. As is

KRA ASSURES ON THE INCLUSIVE FRAMEWORK ON BASE EROSION AND PROFIT SHIFTING The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has allayed fears on the possible loss of revenue from multinational technology firms following the signing of an international Inclusive Framework to reform international tax rules. The fears

Dr Mohamed Omar – KRA Commissioner – Strategy, Innovation and Risk Management Tax systems go through changes over time, as economies and societies equally evolve. Tax administration in Kenya has been going through reforms, most notably over the last ten years when the intentional use

More than 5.5 million taxpayers filed their tax returns for the year 2020 as the filing period officially closed at midnight on Wednesday 30th June 2021. This means that 1.1 million more taxpayers turned out to file their returns this year compared to the 4.4

I recently stumbled upon an old photo showing a long and meandering queue of taxpayers outside Times Tower, Nairobi, waiting to submit their annual tax returns. Although the photo is not dated, it could have been taken years back before the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA)

The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has announced two substantive Commissioners’ appointment as part of an ongoing leadership capacity enhancement programme. KRA’s Commissioner General Githii Mburu CBS, in a media communiqué, confirmed that the Board has appointed Ms. Lilian Anyango Nyawanda as Commissioner of Customs and

SPECIAL FEATURE: The Kenya Government has reiterated its commitment in implementing international standards on transparency and exchange of information for tax purposes as part of a national effort to curb tax evasion and illicit financial flows. Speaking at the OECD Global Forum on Transparency and

On 27th November, 2020, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) hosted an online sensitization forum on Digital Service Tax (DST). In his presentation, Mr. Nickson Omondi provided highlights of the policy and legislative changes that have been effected in order to operationalise DST which comes into

The Commissioner General of the Kenya Revenue Authority was nominated as a Member of the Governing Council of the Africa Tax Administration Forum (ATAF). He was voted during the ATAF General Assembly meeting held 4th November, 2020 by 13 member states, accounting for the highest

The main objective of the occasion was to recognize taxpayers from various sectors of the economy for their contribution towards nation-building. This year’s celebration is anchored on the theme; “Enhancing Tax Administration for Economic Sustainability’’ similar to the Tax Summit. During the meeting, the Commissioner

The 6th Annual Tax Summit that took place on the 4th and 5th of November, 2020, sought to advance conversations based on the four strategic goals that guide its 7th Strategic Plan by driving public and international participation in discussions geared towards providing solutions for enhancing

The commendable progress made so far can only mean one thing: the days for tax
evasion perpetrators are continually diminishing. Through such collaborations, the
country is now better equipped to emancipate tax revenues trapped in the intricate
web of tax evasion schemes.

National Treasury has accepted to increase the monthly
VAT refunds allocation from Ksh. 1.2 Billion to Ksh. 1.7
Billion. This has greatly contributed to the liquidity and
availability of capital which has been instrumental in
the continuity of business operations.

CRM is a state-of-the-art system which has revolutionised how KRA engages with taxpayers virtually. Diversification of the virtual customer assistance platforms is informed by the need to take care of the equally diversified base of taxpayer

The Kenya Revenue Authority published a notice informing manufacturers and importers of excisable goods and members of the public that the Commissioner General will adjust the rates of excise duty using the average inflation rate for the financial year 2019/2020, as determined by the Kenya

The graft war in Kenya, a legacy carried by President Uhuru Kenyatta to date, is perhaps a war that needs public support as the government reigns in on corrupt individuals and corporates.
Political analysts and the general public have been skeptical on the government’s stand on corruption. While some have termed it ‘political theatrics’, others have their eyes fixed on whether the end will lead to convictions. The government however, has its eyes fixed on recovery of all assets from graft cases.

By Stephen Kyande
Kenya is one of the jurisdictions in the world that operate a self-assessment tax administration
regime. Primarily, this kind of regime is purely based on trust where the taxman trusts that the
declarations of income made by taxpayers are a true reflection of the income generated. At a
secondary level, the taxman may issue an assessment as well as other remedial measures
stipulated in the law in case there is suspicion of under-declaration of income by a given
taxpayer.

By Stephen Kyande High tax compliance levels are the backbone of enhanced revenue mobilisation and collection in any jurisdiction. As such, tax administrators employ varied strategies in order achieve high compliance levels. One such strategy is provision of tax amnesty windows. Under tax amnesties, taxmen

In a quiet revolution against the traditional practice of enforcement, taxmen globally are now showing serious interest in finding ways to solve business disputes without going to trial. Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has not been left behind in this revolution and is indeed among the

The Kenya Revenue Authority held a Stakeholder Engagement on Thursday, August 13, 2020 to create awareness of the provisions of the Finance Act 2020.

A digital marketplace was defined in the Finance Act of 2019 as a platform that enables the direct interaction between buyers and sellers of goods and services through electronic means. This definition covers all types of marketplaces however the challenge is that in some instances despite buyers and sellers meeting through a particular platform no value is transferred for goods and services through the platform an example here is a Facebook page or group where buyers and sellers meet but payments are made through private arrangements. However, Facebook would be liable to pay digital services tax for advertising revenue it generates or if payments for goods and services were made within the platform.