This archive report was first published on 24 June 2020.
On June 24, 2020, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) announced plans to recruit 19 additional intelligence officers to bolster its surveillance unit and combat tax evasion.
The new recruits will join the existing spy unit and help the agency improve tax compliance, as directed by President Uhuru Kenyatta in November 2018.
The KRA has been using various databases to pursue suspected tax cheats, including bank statements, import records, and motor vehicle registration details.
Motor registration details have helped the taxman identify individuals driving high-end vehicles but have little to show in terms of taxes remitted, while Kenya Power meter registrations have revealed landlords who have been slapped with high tax demands.
As part of the crackdown, the taxman will monitor high-net-worth individuals whose lifestyles are not in tandem with the taxes paid.
Notably, the KRA fired 75 employees last year and handed them over to the police for allegedly facilitating tax evasion, including senior managers at the agency.
