KRA to recruit 31 senior managers in shake-up

The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has opened the search for 31 senior managers to fill various slots as the newly appointed Commissioner General Githii Mburu seeks to tighten his grip on the agency

The KRA last week invited applications from qualified applicants to fill the senior management positions, which cut across its key departments.

They include legal services and board coordination (five positions) investigations and enforcement (two), strategy, innovation and risk management (six). Others are customs and border control (five), internal audit (one), corporate support services (10) and the Kenya School of Revenue Administration (two).

The Business Daily understands that some of the senior positions to be filled were held by officials recently axed over graft allegations while others belong to those whose contracts have not been renewed. Others have retired. More changes are expected at the agency as it seeks to boost efficiency and tax collection.

“These are part of planned changes at KRA. More on this will be announced soon,” an official at the agency told the Business Daily.

The planned new hires and reorganisation will see the new KRA boss — who previously headed its intelligence division — firmly in charge of the institution.

The hiring will enable him to reorganise the senior leadership of the agency at a time when it is under pressure from the executive to collect additional revenue.

Last year, the KRA fired 75 employees and handed them over to the police for allegedly facilitating tax evasion.

The employees included senior managers at the agency.

The agency then cited various offences including tax-related misconduct such as theft, cheating in the declaration of returns, corruption, collusion and soliciting bribes from tax cheats for sending home the staff. Most of the staff are fighting the charges at the courts.

Sixty-one of those fired and arrested were from the domestic taxes department and 14 from customs and border control.