KRA Goes Ham In Western Kenya To Bring On Board 3 Million Taxpayers Who Don’t Pay Taxes

Forget waiting for taxpayers to come to us. We are going to the markets. The trading centres. The business ecosystems where entrepreneurs wake up every day and hustle to build something.

During the week, KRA took its taxpayer engagement drive deep into Western Kenya, hitting the ground in Kisii, Kisumu, and Siaya, not from behind a desk, but right inside markets, trading centres, and business ecosystems where entrepreneurs actually work.

The initiative, led by Commissioner for Micro and Small Taxpayers George Obell, has seen KRA hold a series of taxpayer forums in counties across the region, including Kisii, Kisumu, and Siaya, where traders, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders have been engaged on their tax obligations and the support available from KRA.

Speaking during the engagements, Obell noted that despite Kenya having more than 22 million registered taxpayers, only about seven million pay some form of tax. Of these, approximately 3.2 million are formally employed and remit Pay As You Earn (PAYE). He explained that this imbalance undermines equity in the tax system, with limited knowledge about tax obligations being a key contributor to the gap.

Why Western Kenya?

The region is one of Kenya’s most significant tax bases outside Nairobi, with 3 million+ registered taxpayers and a revenue potential exceeding KSh 2 trillion. Yet only a fraction currently remit taxes. That gap is not just a revenue problem; it is an equity problem. When a few carry the burden that many should share, the system is not fair. And often, the missing piece is not willingness, it is knowledge.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞‘𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐊𝐑𝐀 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲:

Meeting taxpayers where they are, forums held directly within business communities, not in boardrooms

Demystifying eTIMS, clarifying that the Electronic Tax Invoice Management System is not a new tax, but a digital tool to help businesses keep better records

Introducing Huduma Popote, a bold new initiative to deploy tax expert agents at the grassroots level, bringing tax services closer to small businesses across the country

Simplifying compliance, including flexible Turnover Tax payment options designed to ease cash flow pressure for micro and small enterprises

The commissioner emphasized that KRA’s role goes beyond revenue collection to include educating citizens about taxation and creating simplified systems that make compliance easier for businesses.

“The Authority is keen on deepening engagement with taxpayers across Western Kenya by meeting them within their business ecosystems, including markets and trading centres, to provide education on tax compliance and address the challenges they face,” said Obell.

What question would you want answered at a KRA taxpayer forum?

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