State House technocrat Adan Mohamed beat six Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) insiders to become the tax authority’s next commissioner general after closely guarded interviews that were conducted on Monday with the victor announced on the same day.
Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi published Mr Adan’s name in a gazette notice following completion of interviews for seven candidates shortlisted for the position of KRA Commissioner-General and chief executive officer.
Most of those on the list were drawn from within KRA’s rank and file, a factor that sources say could create fault lines between insider commissioners and an outsider boss.
Mr Mohamed will be sworn in on Wednesday, and hopes to rely on his colorful CV to better his predecessor’s performance.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 11 (1) of the Kenya Revenue Authority Act, the Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury appoints Adan Abdulla Mohamed to be the Commissioner General of Kenya Revenue Authority for a period of three years with effect from May 18, 2026,” Mr Mbadi said in a gazette notice dated May 18, 2026.
Others who were eyeing the position included Lilian Nyawanda, the Commissioner for Customs and Border Control, who had also served as acting Commissioner-General.
Rispah Simiyu, who heads the Domestic Taxes Department, was also said to be interested in leading the tax authority, alongside Fred Mugambi, the commissioner in charge of the Kenya School of Revenue Administration.
Others who had reportedly shown interest in occupying the corner office at Times Tower included Caxton Masudi Ngeywo and Nancy Ng’etich, the Commissioner for Shared Services at the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA).
Lydia Ndirangu was the only other outsider said to have expressed interest in the position, which has traditionally been occupied by men.
She is currently the dual Group Company Secretary and Head of Tax at Equity Bank Group Holdings.
However, the board opted for Adan, who, although does not have any tax experience, has a wealth of knowledge in the business world.
The two-time Cabinet Secretary, who had been serving as chief of strategy execution in the Executive Office of the President, is now expected to improve KRA’s revenue collection by deploying technology to widen the tax base and net hard-to-tax areas such as the informal sector and multinationals without a physical presence in the country, in line with President William Ruto’s strategy of avoiding politically sensitive targets such as payroll taxes and fuel levies as he eyes re-election next year.
Mr Adan previously served as Cabinet Secretary for Industrialisation and Enterprise Development before later heading the East African Community and Regional Development ministry.
The interviews for the seven shortlisted applicants were conducted on Monday, at a time when the country was gripped by a standoff between the government and public transport operators, who withdrew their vehicles from the roads in protest over high fuel prices, effectively paralysing large sections of the economy.
A KRA source, however, revealed that interviews took place throughout the day.
In the end, the board settled on Mr Adan to replace Humphrey Wattanga, with his name subsequently forwarded to the Treasury Cabinet Secretary for gazettement. The notice was made public later the same day.
KRA chairman Ndiritu Muriithi said the process of replacing Mr Wattanga gathered momentum after the board declined to renew his term. According to Mr Muriithi, KRA advertised the position last month, attracting 36 applicants.
The applicants were later narrowed down to a shortlist of 12 before being further whittled down to seven candidates who faced the interview panel.
“And this is the best candidate,” said Mr Muriithi, citing Mr Adan’s track record, including recognition as one of the country’s top corporate chief executives and his experience serving twice as Cabinet secretary.
“Give me a stronger CV and I will hire him for you,” added Mr Muriithi.
Before taking up the State House role, Mr Adan had unsuccessfully vied for the Garissa governor’s seat on a Jubilee Party ticket, losing to Nathif Jama Adam. Jubilee is associated with former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
In a surprising political shift, Mr Adan later joined President Ruto’s administration despite having served for a decade under Mr Kenyatta, whose relationship with Dr Ruto had become strained during their second term in office.
Mr Adan is now expected to guide KRA through a delicate political and economic period in which President Ruto must court voters ahead of the 2027 General Election, while at the same time maintaining fiscal discipline as the country teeters on the verge of debt distress.
The other applicants who made it to the interview stage were also strong candidates, according to Steve Okoth, Tax Advisory Director and Regional Head of Tax at BDO East Africa, but it appeared the Kenya Kwanza administration did not want surprises.
“As a result, they settled on an old hand, someone who has been tried and tested,” said Mr Okoth.
