This archive report was first published on 15 August 2019.
Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has issued a stern warning to tax evaders, with plans to take tougher measures against them this financial year.
According to KRA Commissioner of Investigations and Prosecutions Edward Karanja, the Authority will be instituting criminal prosecution of tax evaders as part of its efforts to enhance voluntary tax compliance.
Speaking on Wednesday, Karanja revealed that the prosecution will be guided by investigations and will be carried out across the five KRA centres in Nairobi, Mombasa, Central, Rift Valley, and Western.
"We are sure we will recover tax revenue from over 95 percent prosecutions," Karanja asserted.
As part of its efforts to crack down on tax evaders, KRA has partnered with 11 prosecutors from the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to ensure that those who evade taxes are brought to book.
According to KRA, the Authority collected Sh1.58 trillion in the 2018/2019 financial year, representing an 11.8 percent growth from Sh1.43 trillion in the previous year.
The growth was attributed to initiatives such as the implementation of Integrated Cargo Management (ICM) systems, regional electronic cargo tracking systems, and the uptake of the iTax system, which has increased the tax base to Sh8 million this year from Sh6.7 million in the previous year.