For taxman, every Kenyan is KRA’s client

December 28, 2009, 11:50 am

When Michael Waweru took over at Kenya Revenue Authority in March 2003, his orientation was brief.

Related Downloads

Stocks & Forex Download

The point of emphasis was a solitary telephone headset and the instructions were clear: when the phone rings, it must be answered, “even if you are in the toilet.”

Why the phone must be answered was left to the KRA commissioner-general’s imagination.

“The phone never rang,” Mr Waweru says.

So he lifted the speakerphone, only to realise the line was dead.

That marked the transition from former President Moi’s era to Mwai Kibaki’s regime in public offices.

As it turned out, the telephone was a direct line to State House, used by the former president to give orders.

But in a complete turnaround, the taxman no longer waits for the “direct” phone call to know what the President expects of him and the Authority.

The Head of State even facilitates his work by urging Kenyans to honour their dues.

The Authority has been a success story, increasing revenue collection from Sh167 billion at the beginning of this decade in the 1999/2000 year under then Commissioner General John Munge, to last year’s Sh480.6 billion.

“I have been lucky in that the President and the government in general have been very supportive,” Mr Waweru, who is known to be close to the President, said in an interview.

Yet, it is not only from State House that lady luck has been smiling on the former chairman of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK).

He was appointed at a time when Kenyans’ sense of patriotism was at its peak, fuelled by the euphoria of a new regime following Narc’s win over Kanu.

A good coincidence

This was further boosted by various measures including tax amnesties that were announced in Kibaki’s first term government.

1 | 2 | 3 Next Page »

Successful Businessman