Exactly seven days after former tax chief Humphrey Wattanga was removed from his role in a surprise shake-up, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) is now looking to permanently fill that void.
On Tuesday, the Kenyan taxman formally declared a vacancy for its top job, kicking off what is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched appointments in the country’s public sector.
One of the reported reasons for Wattanga’s removal was KRA’s failure to meet its revenue targets. Another publication said the former tax chief was not doing more on the technological front to push for higher taxes despite huge upgrades. He was ousted after refusing to resign, cutting short his initial three-year tenure to 31 months.
Mixed results for revenue targets: In the 2023/2024 financial year, the agency set an initial target of KES 2.79 trillion ($21.5 billion), later revised down to KES 2.54 trillion ($19.6 billion) due to economic challenges. It eventually collected KES 2.41 trillion ($18.6 billion), missing the revised target by about KES 130 billion ($1 billion).
However, the rebound came a year later. In the 2024/2025 financial year, KRA exceeded expectations, collecting KES 2.57 trillion ($19.9 billion) against a target of KES 2.56 trillion ($19.8 billion), a 6.8% increase that suggested the taxman had found its footing again, at least briefly. Wattanga has since been appointed as High Commissioner to South Africa, in a diplomatic move by President William Ruto.
Now, the bar is even higher. As they say, the reward for good work meeting targets is more work raising targets. Kenya is targeting KES 2.97 trillion ($3 billion) in revenue for the current fiscal year following the passage of the Finance Bill in July 2025, which aims to widen the tax base, improve compliance, and squeeze more efficiency out of existing taxpayers.
Lilian Nyawanda, KRA’s Commissioner for Customs and Border Control, has stepped in as acting Commissioner General, holding the fort while the search begins.
Between the lines: The next Commissioner General inherits a tax system under pressure to digitise, expand, and deliver more revenue in an economy where taxpayers are already feeling stretched.Â
A likeable candidate could steady public sentiment while still getting more people to pay up, collecting more without annoying them in the process. When you need to deliver a bad message to an angry mob, you send their favourite person.
Adonijah Ndege, our East Africa reporter and Head of Life and Work Desk, predicts that the agency might likely pick an insider as Wattanga’s successor.
Zoom out: Whoever gets the job will have little time to settle in. The KRA has collected KES 2.038 trillion ($15.8 billion) in taxes in the nine months to March 31; there is a KES 932 billion ($7.2 billion) gap to close in three months, and the taxman is not exactly known for patience.