The Kenya Revenue Authority(KRA) Board of Directors has appointed Mrs. Rispah Simiyu as the new Commissioner for Domestic Taxes effective 22nd October 2020.
Mrs. Simiyu who is currently serving as the KRA Deputy Commissioner in charge of the Tax Dispute Resolution docket will be assuming her new role from Elizabeth Meyo who has retired after 24 years at KRA.
Meyo who has been in charge of the domestic tax unit since her appointment in April last year has been accredited as the force behind iTax, an online tax filing system developed by KRA to enhance efficiency and boost tax collection.
Mrs. Simiyu assumes the position following a competitive recruitment exercise conducted by the KRA Board and an external consultant that begun on the 8th of August 2020 attracting 32 applicants with 4 making it to the final level.
“Domestic Taxes Department accounts for 65% of KRA revenue collections and therefore Mrs. Simiyu is tasked with the role of delivering on this mandate,” Said KRA Chairman Amb. Francis Muthaura. In her current role, she has grown the dispute resolution profile over the years from the settlement of 90 disputes to 284 disputes from 2018 to 2020.
Before joining KRA in April 2018, Mrs. Simiyu served as the Standard Chartered Bank Kenya Limited, Regional Tax Manager East Africa, with her role covering assignments in the wider Africa and Middle East Regions.
Mrs. Simiyu boasts of 19 years of experience in tax matters having begun her career at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in 2001 rising to the position of Tax Manager.
She is a qualified Chartered Accountant, a Fellow Chartered and Certified Accountant (FCCA), an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, a member of the Law Society of Kenya, and a Certified Public Secretary.
She holds a Master of Laws degree from the University of Nairobi with a focus on International Trade and Investment. She also holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Dar es Salaam and a post-graduate Diploma in Law from the Kenya School of Law.
Mrs. Simiyu has also practiced and consulted on tax matters in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda and is thus well versed in the tax laws of these countries.
