Politics and policy
Njiraini picked to head tax authority
From left, Outgoing Kenya Revenue Authority Commissioner General Michael Waweru, former Domestic Taxes commissioner, and who is taking over from Michael Waweru, John Njiraini and Wambui Namu, Customs Services Commissioner. Photo/FILE
Posted Thursday, January 19 2012 at 21:25
In Summary
Last August, Mr Njiraini scored the highest in interviews for the Controller of Budget but failed to get the position.
He is reported to have scored best in two sets of tests that included a psychometric test. He has been vocal in demanding that MPs pay taxes, which has raised suspicion that Parliament would be happy stop him from taking the top position at KRA.
This position is seen as critical as the country goes into the devolved system of government requiring massive tax resources.
Finance minister Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday appointed John Njiraini the fourth Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) chief. Mr Njiraini emerged top in a field of six candidates who included Barclays Bank Kenya CEO Adan Mohamed.
According to information made available to the Business Daily, Mr Njiraini led a pack of three KRA insiders in a scoring done by the board of directors.
At number two was Wambui Namu, the Customs Department Commissioner who was followed by Alice Owuor, the Domestic Taxes Department Commissioner.
(ALSO READ: Uhuru to have final say on who becomes next KRA boss)
Helen Bila, the Support Services Commissioner and AfDB macroeconomist James Njuguna were also interviewed. Mr Njiraini scored 86.7 per cent during the interviews while Mrs Namu scored 76.2 per cent. Mr Owuor had 75 per cent.
Beatrice Memo was on Thursday appointed Customs Commissioner while Pancrasius Nyagah became the Domestic Tax Department-Large Tax Payer Commissioner.
Mr Nyagah has been head of tax at Airtel Africa and was previously a tax manager with Ernst & Young.
Mr Njiraini’s appointment is likely to be controversial in some quarters especially today when the High Court meets to hear a case, certified as urgent, seeking to scuttle the appointment.
A lobby group, the Consumer Federation of Kenya (Cofek) , on Wednesday filed a petition seeking to stop the appointment, arguing that the board was carrying out the process of the new taxman in an opaque manner.
The move came days after Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) board concluded the interviews on Monday evening.
On Thursday Cofek said: “The appointment proves what we have been saying all along—that the process is not transparent.
Why couldn’t they wait for the hearing?”
However, KRA chairman Marsden Madoka — who was accompanied by other directors at a press conference at Times Towers, Nairobi, yesterday said that Cofek might have been too late because the process had been concluded.
He said KRA would still go to court for the hearing.
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