By Joshua Otieno | May 20, 2026
NAIROBI, KENYA — Former Industrialisation Cabinet Secretary Adan Abdulla Mohamed has officially been sworn in as the new Commissioner-General of the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), taking charge of the country’s tax authority at a time of heightened pressure to boost domestic revenue collection.
Mohamed was sworn in during a ceremony at the Supreme Court following his formal appointment through a gazette notice issued by National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi.
The appointment marks the end of the tenure of outgoing Commissioner-General Humphrey Wattanga, whose contract expired in April after the KRA board declined to renew it.
Mohamed will serve a three-year term at the helm of the tax authority after emerging successful in a highly competitive recruitment process that reportedly attracted several senior KRA insiders.
According to Kenya Gazette Notice No. 7393, his appointment was made under Section 11(1) of the KRA Act, officially paving the way for him to assume office.
The new KRA boss brings more than three decades of experience in both public service and corporate leadership.
Before joining government, Mohamed served as Chief Executive Officer of Barclays Bank of Kenya and later held senior regional leadership roles for Barclays East and West Africa.
In government, he previously served as Cabinet Secretary for Industrialisation and Trade, as well as the East African Community and Regional Development docket. Most recently, he served as Chief of Strategy Execution under President William Ruto’s administration.
Mohamed assumes leadership at Times Tower during a challenging economic period, with the government under pressure to increase tax compliance and expand revenue collection amid growing public concern over taxation and the rising cost of living.
His appointment, however, has already attracted legal opposition. Activist Peter Opere has filed a constitutional petition at the High Court challenging the legality of the appointment.
The petition argues that the recruitment process violated constitutional governance principles under Article 10 and allegedly bypassed statutory regulations governing retirement age in public service.
Despite the looming legal battle, Mohamed is expected to spearhead tax modernization reforms and strengthen compliance measures aimed at improving revenue collection for the government.
