NAIROBI, May 20 – Kenya has appointed Adan Abdulla Mohamed as Commissioner General of the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), marking a key leadership change as the government pushes to strengthen revenue amid mounting fiscal pressure.
Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi confirmed the appointment in a government gazette notice on Monday, giving Mohamed a three-year term effective immediately.
Mohamed succeeds Humphrey Wattanga, whose exit in April followed the KRA board’s decision not to renew his contract after less than two years in office. The authority did not provide detailed reasons for the move beyond acknowledging his contribution to institutional restructuring.
The appointment comes as President William Ruto’s administration leans heavily on tax collection to finance spending plans, reduce budget deficits and manage rising debt-servicing obligations. At the same time, businesses and households have continued to push back against higher taxes and tighter compliance rules amid elevated living costs and slower economic activity.
During Wattanga’s tenure, KRA widened the use of digital tax monitoring systems, stepped up enforcement measures and increased scrutiny of imports and businesses filings in a bid to expand the tax base.
Business associations and manufacturers, however, said the tougher measures raised compliance costs and added pressure on firms already dealing with weaker demand.
Mohamed now takes charge as Parliament debates proposals under the Finance Bill 2026 aimed at widening the tax net and tightening enforcement measures.
KRA collected KES 2.038 trillion ($15.7 billion) in the nine months through March 2026, below its KES 2.122 trillion ($17 billion) target, though revenue still rose 11.4% from a year earlier, according to agency data.
