NAIROBI, Kenya — The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has attributed the exit of its former Commissioner General Humphrey Wattanga to failure to meet revenue targets and ongoing operational challenges, including persistent system inefficiencies that affected tax collection performance.
According to official and media reports, the KRA Board opted not to renew Wattanga’s contract following a review of his performance, which showed that the authority fell short of its revenue target of Sh2.122 trillion, despite collecting about Sh2.038 trillion in the nine months to March 2026.
The shortfall, though relatively narrow, came amid heightened pressure on the tax agency to bridge widening fiscal gaps and meet ambitious government revenue expectations.
In a statement and subsequent reports, KRA linked the decision to broader challenges in tax administration, including technology disruptions affecting key systems such as customs and digital tax platforms, which impacted efficiency in revenue collection operations.
The authority noted that the leadership change was part of ongoing reforms aimed at strengthening compliance, improving digital tax systems, and widening the tax base to enhance future revenue performance.
Following the exit, Wattanga was immediately nominated by President William Ruto as Kenya’s High Commissioner to South Africa, a move widely interpreted as a diplomatic redeployment after his tenure at the tax authority.
Dr. Lilian Nyawanda has since taken over in an acting capacity as KRA begins the search for a substantive Commissioner General.
Leadership pressure and fiscal expectations
Wattanga’s tenure was marked by intense pressure to increase revenue collection amid economic strain, rising public opposition to new taxes, and ongoing efforts to digitize tax systems.
Analysts note that while KRA continued to post record-level collections, the gap between targets and actual performance became a central point of scrutiny in his final months in office.
The agency has since signaled renewed focus on system upgrades, enforcement, and compliance reforms to avoid similar shortfalls in future fiscal cycles.
