KRA Commissioner Rispah Simiyu seconded to National Treasury amid leadership changes

The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has seconded its Commissioner for Large and Medium Taxpayers, Rispah Simiyu, to the National Treasury as part of ongoing reforms aimed at boosting organisational efficiency.

In a statement on Thursday, the authority said it has appointed Doreen Mbingi to lead the department in an acting capacity, while confirming Nancy Ng’etich as Commissioner for the Shared Services Department.

KRA Commissioner General Humphrey Wattanga said the changes are part of “ongoing efforts to strengthen institutional capacity, enhance service delivery and drive organisational excellence.”

It remains unclear what specific role Simiyu will assume at the Treasury. She becomes the second KRA Commissioner to be seconded to the Treasury since 2023, following Commissioner for Customs & Border Control Lilian Nyawanda, who was seconded during managerial changes in February 2023.

Nyawanda, who had served only a third of her five-year contract, worked as an adviser to Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo for eight months before quietly returning to her post.

Unlike Nyawanda, Simiyu’s first term has about a month remaining. Her position was advertised on September 2, with applications closing on September 23. KRA Commissioners serve five-year terms, renewable once.

Acting commissioner

In the interim, Doreen Mbingi, Deputy Commissioner for Compliance East and South of Nairobi, has been appointed to head the Large and Medium Taxpayers Department in an acting capacity pending a substantive appointment.

Simiyu joined KRA in April 2018 after a career in the private sector, initially serving as Deputy Commissioner for Tax Dispute Resolution. She was appointed Commissioner on October 22, 2020, following a competitive recruitment process that attracted 32 applicants.

Alongside her departure, KRA confirmed the appointment of Nancy Ng’etich as commissioner for the Shared Services Department. Ng’etich has been acting in the role since February 2023, during which she has overseen organisational reforms, aligned human resources with KRA’s 9th Corporate Plan, and promoted technology adoption to support revenue mobilisation.

Previously, Ng’etich served as Deputy Commissioner for Policy and International Affairs in the Customs and Border Control Department and as Senior Manager for Customs and Tax Advisory at Ernst & Young LLP.

“She has played a pivotal role in customs reforms, trade facilitation, African Continental Free Trade Area negotiations, and East African Community customs policy,” Wattanga said.

Ng’etich is also an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya and a member of the Law Society of Kenya, the Institute of Certified Public Secretaries of Kenya, and the Kenya Institute of Management.

The Commissioner General, who assumed office at Times Tower in August 2023, said the Authority is focusing on simplification, technology, and a culture shift to foster voluntary compliance.

“The whole premise here is to foster voluntary or cooperative compliance. We want to make KRA accessible within the environment of taxpayers, we are listening to their pain points, and we believe that compliance can actually be simple,” Wattanga said on August 25.

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KRA reiterated its commitment to fulfilling its mandate of revenue mobilisation for national development while delivering efficient, fair, and transparent services to all taxpayers across the country.