Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has brought on board more than 300 tax and customs professionals tasked with charting the revenue roadmap as the country’s economy continues to recover from COVID-19 and in anticipation that their input will ease revenue jitters Post COVID-19.
The trained experts were awarded certificates and diplomas in Customs and tax administration on Friday during the Kenya School of Revenue Administration (KESRA) 17th graduation ceremony held at Times Tower, Nairobi.
KRA Board Chairman Ambassador Francis Muthaura challenged the graduands to instigate new ideas to support KRA and the country’s economy.
He said that time had come for the graduands to participate in policy development and the country’s economic decision making as the country emerges from the effects of the pandemic.
“As the economy begins the restart and recovery from the effects of Covid-19 pandemic, Kenya needs you now more than ever. You are not only the future but the current decision makers of this country and your role will be critical in revamping the economy,” said Amb. Muthaura.
During the graduation ceremony themed leveraging on technology to transform tax and Customs training the school announced that it had developed and rolled out two Higher National Diploma programmes in tax and Customs administration with a bachelor’s degree as the entry-level.
Commissioner and Head of KESRA Dr. Fred Mugambi said that the new programmes will go along way in improving the technical expertise of tax experts in the country as the country embarks on implementation of newly proposed taxes including Digital Service Tax (DST) Minimum Tax as well as other tax base expansion initiatives including the Voluntary Tax Disclosure Programme.
Speaking on behalf of Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) Commissioner General, Mr Githii Mburu, Commissioner Legal and Board Coordination said that the institution had enabled KRA to build staff capacity and equip Kenyans with necessary skills in Tax, Customs and Fiscal Policy.
He noted that during the 2019/2020 Financial Year, through the online platform, the institution managed to train over 2,500 KRA staff in various programmes. He said that the Authority envisions that KESRA will soon be able to train all KRA staff every year.
“I would also like to laud the various programmes that KESRA has put together to train staff. For instance, KESRA has managed to train over 80 KRA senior managers in collaboration with the National Defence College through the Ethics and Leadership programme,” added the Commissioner.
The Commissioner said that KRA is in the process of identifying a sizable facility to host the surging number of students at the KESRA’s main campus in Nairobi.
About 190 Post Graduate and 24 Masters graduands will soon be conferred with respective degrees at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) and Moi Universities, courtesy of the partnerships that the school has with the two higher institutions.
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