Why KRA Service Assistants Required Paramilitary Training- Treasury CS

National Treasury & Economic Planning Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung'u explained the government's move to have the newly-hired Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) Service Assistants (RSA) possess paramilitary training acquired from the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF). 

Speaking during his appearance before the National Assembly on Wednesday, September 27, the CS stated that the responsibilities demanded by RSAs required them to have disciplined training.

Ndung'u elaborated that the paramilitary training was considered necessary as the new RSAs will be expected to be physically in tip-top shape in the field while demonstrating a high level of alertness during their duties.

A KRA Revenue Service Assistant (RSA) attending to a businesswoman in Nairobi on September 27, 2023. /KENYA REVENUE AUTHORITY

"The role of the revenue assistant officers is purely intelligence-gathering and management to detect, deter and stem tax evasion.

"It is related to fieldwork and it requires physical fitness alertness and swift and tactical skills hence the revenue service assistance program had a dimension of paramilitary training for effective policing interventions against VAT and excise tax leakages," Ndung'u stated.

According to the CS, some 1,406 recruits were sent to KDF school in Eldoret and two months of training before deployment, adding that the training was informed by health reasons.

Ndung'u further noted that the training will also equip the servicemen with skills to deal with uncertainties that may arise over the course of their work.

Further, the CS denied bias during the recruitment process in collaboration with National Defence Services saying the exercise was gender-balanced, considered ethnic representation and undertook a KDF medical assessment to ascertain fitness.

Ndung'u said only two were turned down during the process. One was declared medically unfit while the other was kicked out for presenting fake documents.

"Recruits had to be between 18 and 35 years of age," he added.

Of the graduates, those between the age of 18 - 20 years are 110 recruits. 500 recruits are aged between 21 and 25 years while 542 are aged between 26 and 30 years.

A total of 204 revenue assistants are aged between 31 to 35 years.

The taxman, who deployed the servicemen across the country on Monday, will support taxpayers in updating the correct details on their iTax profiles, and registration of trading businesses that are not registered with KRA.

This includes the addition of applicable obligations, verification of details such as location, and contact information and support of taxpayers to comply with other tax regulations.

Earlier, KRA responded to six questions arising from Kenyans' concerns regarding the true purpose of the RSAs, with some businessmen claiming that the officers queried them regarding their county government licences, turnover, rent, landlord/landlady if they had any other businesses among others.

According to KRA, the revenue assistants will be identified using their staff cards to ensure that scrupulous individuals do not take advantage of the programme.

Kenyans can verify the authenticity of a service assistant's details through USSD *572#.

Read more: KRA Answers Your 6 Questions On Revenue Service Assistants