Rispah Simiyu: Inside 19-Year Lucrative Career Of New KRA Boss

Former Commissioner for Domestic Taxes Rispah Simiyu was on Thursday, February 23 appointed the new Commissioner General of the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA).

Simiyu's predecessor, Githii Mburu, handed his resignation letter to the KRA board on the same day as he went on to pursue personal interests.

"Following the resignation, the Board has appointed FCCA, CS Rispah Simiyu (Mrs), Advocate, EBS to be the Acting Commissioner General KRA with effect from 23rd February 2023 until the position is substantively and competitively filled," KRA's statement read in part.

Simiyu brings over 19 years of experience as a seasoned and grounded tax professional to her new role as acting Commissioner General. She began her career at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in 2001 rising to the position of Tax Manager.

Rispah Simiyu during an interview on October 4, 2021. /FACEBOOK.KENYA REVENUE AUTHORITY

Prior to joining the taxman in April 2018 as Commissioner for Domestic Taxes, she served as the Standard Chartered Bank Kenya Limited’s Regional Tax Manager for East Africa, with assignments covering the wider Africa and Middle East Regions.

While at the Bank, she also chaired the Tax Sub-Committee of the Kenya Bankers Association (KBA) Finance and Audit Committee, responsible for training management and staff of KBA members on existing and emerging tax issues.

Simiyu also holds a Master of Laws degree from the University of Nairobi, with a focus on International Trade and Investment, and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Dar es Salaam.

She is also a qualified Chartered Accountant, a Fellow Chartered and Certified Accountant (FCCA), an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, a member of the Law Society of Kenya and a Certified Public Secretary.

Moreover, Simiyu has practised and consulted on tax matters in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and is thus well-versed in the tax laws of the East African countries.

She served as the KRA Deputy Commissioner in charge of the Tax Dispute Resolution docket prior to her elevation to the Commissioner role in 2020.

“Simiyu assumes the position following a competitive recruitment exercise conducted by the KRA Board and an external consultant that began on August 8, 2020, attracting 32 applicants with 4 making it to the final level,” Muthaura said.

“Domestic Taxes Department accounts for 65 per cent of KRA revenue collections and therefore Simiyu is tasked with the role of delivering on this mandate. In her current role, she has grown the dispute resolution profile over the years from the settlement of 90 disputes to 284 disputes from 2018 to 2020,” the KRA board announced at the time.

As acting Commissioner General, Simiyu will be expected to spearhead KRA’s operations and ensure that the Authority achieves its revenue targets.

Her appointment comes at a critical time when the Authority is ramping up efforts to increase revenue collection, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has strained the country’s economy.

After taking over office last year, President William Ruto announced his intentions for the KRA to double its collections from Ksh2.1 trillion to over Ksh4 trillion, a job that in the short term will now be headed by Simiyu.