The government through Kenya Revenue Authority Board has kick started the process of recruiting new Commissioner-General, two months to the exit of John Njiraini.
Mr Njiraini, who was appointed by President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2012 when he served as Finance Minister, was due to exit this month but his term was extended by Treasury to allow competitive recruitment of the replacement.
Already, KRA Chairman Francis Muthaura, whose term also expires in October, has sort services of PriceWaterhouseCoopers, an indication that the new Commissioner could be poached from outside Times Towers.
“KRA seeks to recruit the Commissioner-General who as Chief Executive Officer will lead the institution through its transformative journey …
"He or she will ensure that the Authority operates in line with its vision “to become a globally trusted revenue agency, facilitating tax and customs compliance,” said PwC in a notice posted in local dailies Tuesday.
The board recently named Mr Kevin Safari as the new commissioner for Customs and Border Control after the position fell vacant following the exit of Mr Julius Musyoki.
It also named Ms Elizabeth Odundo Meyo as the commissioner for domestic taxes, a position that deputy commissioner Ruth Wachira had been holding in an acting capacity since July 6, last year.
The new team is expected to help the taxman grow collections to Sh1.997 trillion in the year starting July and Sh2.298 trillion in the 2020-21 fiscal year under its corporate plan launched in January.
KRA has been under pressure to help government to collect enough resources to finance escalating budget and this year, it has a target of Sh2.99 trillion for the budget in 2019/20.
President Uhuru Kenyatta is under pressure to finance his Big Four agenda, even after the Budget Committee of parliament raised a red flag towards the same, arguing that the country does not have enough money to finance the projects.