Nairobi — The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has introduced a new technology system aimed at promoting staff integrity and improving service delivery.
KRA Commissioner for Micro and Small Taxpayers George Obell said the staff management system is designed to monitor and manage engagements between officers and taxpayers, with a focus on transparency, accountability, and service efficiency.
The system will provide visibility into all interactions between taxpayers and KRA field officers, including officers' areas of assignment, the nature of engagements, and actions taken. In addition, officers will be equipped with digital devices to enhance transaction visibility and accountability.
Mr Obell added that the technology will allow officers to serve taxpayers without the need to return to the office, improving turnaround time and operational efficiency.
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Through a smartphone-enabled solution, officers will be able to register taxpayers, access back-office systems, query information, and provide immediate feedback while in the field.
The system is also GIS-enabled, allowing KRA to track officer deployment, assign tasks more effectively, and follow up to ensure assignments are completed as required.
"This will significantly improve support to taxpayers while also enhancing accountability and operational efficiency in tax administration," Mr Obell said.
In recent years, KRA has been battling corruption cases involving its own employees, which have seen the taxman lose billions of shillings in uncollected revenue.
For example, in the first quarter (Q1) of the 2024/2025 financial year, KRA dismissed 25 employees over graft-related issues, a 257.1 percent increase compared to seven workers dismissed in the same period of the previous financial year.
The dismissals were part of disciplinary action taken against 84 employees sanctioned for various forms of misconduct between July and September 2024.
As part of its anti-corruption drive, KRA has implemented a series of measures to uphold integrity, ensure accountability, and enhance public confidence in the tax administration system.
One such initiative is the introduction of iWhistle, a web-based platform that allows the public to anonymously report corruption and tax evasion activities.
The platform has helped KRA recover Sh4.22 billion from corruption-related cases in the 2023/2024 financial year.
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"To address these gaps, we are deploying a workflow-based solution that enables information received in the field to be transmitted instantly to the back office for processing," said KRA Shared Services Commissioner Nancy Nge'tich.
"The system will also give management real-time visibility on where officers are deployed, the type of support they are providing to taxpayers, and the progress of assigned tasks."
