New KRA Commissioner General Appointed by Treasury CS
On August 22, Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung’u appointed Humphrey Wattanga as the new Commissioner General of the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) for a three-year term.
Ndung’u announced the appointment in a notice published in the gazette on Tuesday, August 22, 2023.
Wattanga serves as vice chairman of the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) for six years.
The notice stated in part, “The Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury and Economic Planning appoints Humphrey Wattanga Mulongo as the Commissioner General of Kenya Revenue Authority for a three-year term, effective August 22, 2023.”
Wattanga succeeds Risper Simiyu, who has been operating in the position since February of this year following the resignation of Githii Mburu.
The new Commissioner General has more than fifteen years of global experience as a business development, corporate finance, and transaction advisor to private equity entities, private sector companies, development finance institutions, and governments.
He possesses a Master of Business Administration from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Finance and a Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry from Harvard University in the United States.
The tax collector solicited applications from qualified candidates in April 2023.
Following Mburu’s departure from the authority to pursue personal interests, Simiyu has been serving in an interim capacity.
Mburu resigned before the conclusion of his 5-year term, which was set to expire in June 2024 after the KRA Act was amended.
“Following the resignation, the board has appointed Rispah Simiyu (EBS), the Acting Commissioner General of the KRA, with effect from February 23, 2023, until the position is substantively and competitively filled,” the authority announced at the time.
“The Board thanks Mr. Mburu for his service to KRA and the Republic of Kenya, and we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.”
Wattanga assumes the role at a time when the tax collector is under pressure to increase its tax base and revenue collection to finance government activities.
The authority had collected 95.1% of the original target and 93.4% of the supplementary target as of April 2023.
New KRA Commissioner General Appointed by Treasury CS