KRA ups anti-graft efforts with new tech innovations

Despite Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) reporting a record Sh1 trillion in revenue collection last week, corruption cases continue to dog the taxman with stakeholders calling for robust measures.

In response to the growing concern, the authority has embarked on an inhouse cleaning exercise to tame corruption and other irregularities in its tax administration systems.

Through a statement, it stated that it is leveraging technology to seal revenue leakages as one of the measures. It introduced the use of ‘iWhistle’, a web-based platform that allows the public to anonymously report corruption and tax evasion activities
The iWhistle according to KRA has been instrumental in the recovery of Sh4.22 billion in FY 2023/2024 alone.

According to KRA Commissioner General Humphrey Wattanga, the taxman is committed to transforming itself into a world-class institution with the highest standards of integrity and accountability.

“Through these strategic measures, including the use of technology and a firm stance on corruption, we are not only enhancing revenue collection but also building a more transparent and efficient tax administration system for the people of Kenya,” he said.

As part of these anti-corruption measures, KRA has also established a reward scheme offering informers 5 per cent of the tax recovered with a maximum pay-out of Sh5 million per case as a way of incentivising corruption report cases.

it has also established Corruption Prevention Committees (CPCs) to set up priorities in the prevention of corruption within operational areas. “The CPCs take appropriate administrative actions against any reported malpractices, reporting on emerging risks and meets quarterly to evaluate implementation of the Public Service Integrity Program (PSIP) activities,” KRA added.

In addition, it stated that it is working in close collaboration with other law enforcement agencies such as Ethics and Anticorruption Corruption Commission (EACC), Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Asset Recovery Authority (ARA) among others.

The taxman is also co-operating with other regional jurisdictions to exchange information which is crucial in revealing corruption schemes. Currently, it is implementing the East African Revenue Authorities (EARA) an Anti-Corruption Framework that includes the establishment of an integrity communication strategy and whistle-blower mechanisms. At the same time, the authority is in the initial stages of implementing the already ratified World Customs Organisation East and Southern Africa (WCO ESA) Code of Conduct on Integrity.

In the First Quarter of the Financial Year (FY) 2024/2025 (July – September 2024), KRA issued a total of 84 verdicts sanctioning staff for various misconducts compared to the 37 verdicts issued during the same period in FY 2023/2024.

“Among these sanctions, Summary Dismissals rose sharply to 25 cases in Q1 of FY 2024/2025 from just seven 7 in the same period last year,” KRA highlighted.

The number of termination of services cases dropped from eight in Q1 of FY 2023/2024 to three in Q1 of FY 2024/2025, while the combined cases of Warning and Lifting of Interdiction decreased from seven (7) to four (4), indicating a more focused approach towards dealing with misconduct.

Moreover, the authority has instituted an Integrity Award Framework to recognise and celebrate KRA staff who exemplify outstanding support in promoting integrity within the organisation.

“These initiatives have contributed significantly to the improvement of KRA’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI), which has seen a notable upward shift rising from 30 per cent in FY 2023/2024 compared to 38.6 per cent in FY 2019/2020,” KRA added.