Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) plans to introduce Stationless Personal Identification Number (PIN) Service Delivery to enhance access to tax services across the country. Stationless PIN Service Delivery will move taxpayer services from physical stations, allowing individuals and businesses to access assistance from any KRA Taxpayer Service Office (TSO) countrywide.
Speaking during a Citizen Assembly Forum (Town Hall Meeting) in Nairobi, KRA Board Chairman, Mr Ndiritu Muriithi said KRA is retooling how taxpayers access support. “In our engagements with taxpayers, we have observed a growing demand for convenience, flexibility, and reduced bureaucracy in how services are delivered and accessed,” Mr Ndiritu said. “PIN service delivery will allow taxpayers to have their issues resolved at the first point of contact without being referred to another office.”
The innovation marks another milestone in KRA’s ongoing digital transformation journey focused on improving taxpayer experience, reducing administrative bottlenecks, and promoting voluntary compliance. KRA Commissioner General, Mr Humphrey Wattanga, said the initiative aligns with KRA’s 9th Corporate Plan, which prioritises customer-centric service delivery as a key strategic focus area.
“The introduction of Stationless PIN Service Delivery will mark a significant step in simplifying tax registration, promoting voluntary compliance, and increasing customer satisfaction by taxpayers across the country. Our goal is to make registration, filing, and payment processes as frictionless as possible — so that taxpayers can focus on growing their businesses and daily lives while we focus on service excellence,” Mr Wattanga said.
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Currently, most taxpayer services under Domestic Taxes are managed through a station-based system that assigns tasks to Tax Service Offices (TSOs) based on turnover (for Large & Medium Taxpayers) or physical addresses (for Micro and Small Taxpayers). For Customs, services are managed either through the customs station of processing such as a border station, Inland Container Depots (ICDs), Bonded Warehouses, or centrally at HQ.
While this model has served KRA for many years, it has also led to high compliance costs to the taxpayer, administrative delays, as well as occasional service inconsistency and system gaps in the provision of taxpayer services. To complement the ongoing taxpayer service reforms, KRA has already introduced a USSD solution, allowing taxpayers to access key services without the need for internet connectivity or smartphones.
By dialling *222# and selecting Option 5 for KRA services, taxpayers can now retrieve or verify their PINs and access other essential services from any phone. The Authority has also launched a WhatsApp chatbot to provide interactive support to taxpayers with smartphones, enabling faster query resolution and ondemand access to information. Currently, KRA operates 136 service points across the country, serving an estimated 22 million registered taxpayers.
However, the concentration of these centres in urban areas has limited reach to rural and underserved populations. To address this, KRA is rolling out an agent model, commonly used by banks and mobile phone service providers, to extend its footprint. The first cohort of 10,000 agents is set to be recruited this year. These agents will provide basic services such as registration, tax filing, and payments.
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