Few Kenyans have been as politically fortunate as Adan Mohamed, the latest pick for the position of Commissioner-General of the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA).
He served for nearly a decade as a Cabinet Secretary in the Jubilee administration and survived the political fallout between former President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto.
Despite later running for office on the ticket of Jubilee Party associated with Mr Kenyatta, he unexpectedly emerged as an ally of Dr Ruto after the latter formed government in 2022.
Mr Adan served as President Ruto’s Special Envoy on Manufacturing and the Blue Economy before being elevated to Chief of Strategy Execution in the Executive Office of the President, one of the most influential roles in the Kenya Kwanza administration.
Now, he is President Ruto’s preferred choice to head the country’s tax authority.
Before he embarks on the herculean task of helping the government raise tax collection as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) towards the long-term target of 20 percent, Mr Adan must first navigate legal and political hurdles surrounding his appointment.
Several court cases have already been filed challenging the process that led to his selection, threatening to delay his assumption of office. Nevertheless, his supporters argue that few Kenyans possess a résumé as strong as his.
The State House technocrat beat six KRA insiders to become the taxman’s next Commissioner-General after closely guarded interviews.
Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi published Mr Adan’s name in a Gazette Notice following the completion of interviews for seven candidates shortlisted for the position of Commissioner-General and chief executive officer.
Most of those on the shortlist were drawn from KRA’s rank and file, a factor that sources say could create fault lines between career commissioners and an outsider boss.
Mr Adan was sworn in almost as quickly as he had been hired, taking office shortly after being announced as the next Commissioner-General of KRA. Those 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 reportedly sought the position included Caxton Masudi Ngeywo and Nancy Ng'etich, the Commissioner for Shared Services at KRA.
Lydia Ndirangu was the only outsider besides Mr Adan said to have expressed interest in the position, which has traditionally been occupied by men. She currently serves as Group Company Secretary and Head of Tax at Equity Group Holdings.
In the end, the board opted for Mr Adan, who, despite lacking direct tax administration experience, brings extensive corporate and public sector expertise.
Mr Adan is now expected to help KRA deploy technology to widen the tax base and improve compliance in hard-to-tax sectors such as the informal economy and multinational digital businesses.
The assignment aligns closely with President Ruto’s strategy of boosting tax revenues, while avoiding politically sensitive measures such as increases in payroll taxes and fuel levies as the country heads towards the 2027 General Election.
Mr Adan previously served as Cabinet Secretary for Industrialisation and Enterprise Development before later heading the Ministry of East African Community and Regional Development.
He takes over KRA at a time when the country is debating a fourth Finance Bill under the Ruto administration. Besides calls for several tax proposals to be dropped, there has also been growing pressure on the government to provide tax relief to low-income salaried workers.
Already, the government has been forced to halve the 16 percent value-added tax on fuel following a sharp rise in petroleum prices linked to tensions in the Middle East.
The conflict has disrupted a key shipping route through which about a fifth of the world’s oil supplies pass.
The result is a Commissioner-General who begins his tenure facing a widening revenue gap, as some of the measures aimed at easing the cost of living are expected to reduce tax collections.
In the nine months to March 2026, KRA missed its ordinary revenue target by Sh161.9 billion, widening the shortfall from Sh110.6 billion recorded at the end of December 2025.
“Ordinary revenue collection was Sh1.81 trillion against a target of Sh1.98 trillion by the end of March 2026,” the National Treasury said in its latest Quarterly Economic and Budget Review report.
“All ordinary revenue categories recorded below-target performance during the period under review, except import duty, which surpassed its target by Sh8.6 billion, and other revenue categories, which surpassed their target by Sh4.1 billion.”
For a man with no prior experience in tax administration, the pressure will be immense.
Born in El Wak in Mandera County and raised up in the remote village of Kotulo, Mr Adan is the son of a chief from the Garre clan.
His upbringing exposed him to both the realities of ordinary citizens and the responsibilities of leadership from an early age.
He attended Mandera Primary School, where he was reportedly one of only two pupils who progressed to secondary school. He later joined Kangaru School in Embu before enrolling at the University of Nairobi, where he graduated in 1989 with a First Class Bachelor of Commerce degree.
His academic excellence opened the door to a successful career in accounting and finance.
Mr Adan began his professional journey at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he trained as a chartered accountant in London. He later worked for Shell in Nigeria before earning a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School in 1998.
Upon returning to Kenya, he joined Barclays Bank Kenya as Finance Director and steadily climbed the corporate ladder, eventually becoming Managing Director for East and West Africa.
Under his leadership, Barclays won the prestigious Banker Awards in 2009, cementing his reputation as one of the region’s leading banking executives.
KRA chairman Ndiritu Muriithi believes Mr Adan has what it takes to excel in his latest assignment, having emerged from a recruitment process that attracted 36 applicants. The field was later narrowed to 12 candidates and subsequently to seven finalists.
“And this is the best candidate,” said Mr Muriithi, citing Mr Adan’s record in both the corporate world and government.
“Give me a stronger CV and I will hire him for you,” he added.
