The five men in the shortlist to replace John Njiraini as the Commissioner-General of the Kenya Revenue Authority are individuals who have made a name in the finance world, with a majority having a background in tax matters.
Below are their summarised profiles.
JULIUS WAITA MWATU
A holder of a Master’s of Business Administration, Mr Waita has been the chairman of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (Icpak) since 2017.
Before that, he was Icpak’s vice chair.
A profile he provided while campaigning for the chairmanship indicated that he has 20 years of professional experience in accounting.
It adds that he has worked with accounting firms such as Ernst & Young and KPMG as a tax consultant and trainer.
He was also a part-time financial analyst for Nedbank Eastern Africa between 2010 and 2015.
Mr Mwatu has a bachelor’s degree in statistics and holds CPA (K) certification among other qualifications.
ANDREW KAZORA OKELLO
A past KRA bulletin indicates that Mr Okello was the commissioner for domestic taxes at the authority up to 2016.
That year, he was appointed the regional adviser for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on tax matters for East and Central Africa.
“Mr Okello has been credited with the major tax reforms at KRA, that saw the authority introduce various reforms, including the tax registers project,” says the bulletin.
It adds that Mr Okello holds a degree in economics from the University of Nairobi, a Master’s degree in development economics from Williams College, in Massachusetts (USA) and a Master’s of Business Administration from Bath University (UK).
JAMES GITHII MBURU
He is the man who has in the past warned Kenyans that the taxman may not be as docile at it appears.
Most of the transactions people think they have done behind the government’s nose, he told this reporter in a past interview, have a way of tracking back to the individual.
Mr Mburu is currently the Commissioner for Intelligence and Strategic Operations.
His LinkedIn profile says he studied accounting at Kenyatta University.
It adds that at one time he was the deputy commissioner in charge of audit at KRA.
DUNCAN OTIENO ONDURU
Mr Otieno is the executive director of the Commonwealth Association of Tax Administrators, according to information on the organisation’s website.
The organisation is based in London.
RICHARD BORO NDUNG’U
He was a partner with KPMG Kenya for two decades before a disagreement severed the relationship in 2017 when his partnership was terminated by compulsory retirement.