Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) is in the process of introducing Stationless  Personal Identification Number (PIN) Service Delivery in a bid to enhance  access to taxpayer services across the country, regardless of where one registers  or operates as a taxpayer. 

Stationless PIN Service Delivery will decouple taxpayer services from physical  stations, allowing individuals and businesses to access assistance from any KRA  Taxpayer Service Office (TSO) countrywide. This shift is expected to reduce  service delays, enhance efficiency, and make taxpayer interactions with KRA  more convenient. 

Speaking during a Citizen Assembly Forum (Town Hall Meeting) in Nairobi,  KRA Board Chairman, Ndiritu Muriithi said KRA is retooling how taxpayers  access support from KRA in keeping with their evolving needs. 

“In our engagements with taxpayers, we have observed a growing demand for  convenience, flexibility, and reduced bureaucracy in how services are delivered  and accessed. To enhance customer experience and satisfaction, KRA plans to  introduce stationless PIN service delivery that will provide end-to-end support  — allowing taxpayers to have their issues resolved at the first point of contact  without being referred to another office.” He said. 

The innovation marks another milestone in KRA’s ongoing digital  transformation journey, which is focused on improving taxpayer experience,  reducing administrative bottlenecks, and promoting voluntary compliance in  line with the Authority’s vision of being an agile tax and customs revenue  agency facilitating voluntary compliance for all. 

KRA Commissioner General, Humphrey Wattanga has said the initiative aligns  with KRA’s 9th Corporate Plan, which prioritises customer-centric service  delivery as a key strategic focus area. 

“Under the 9th Corporate Plan, we are redesigning KRA to be customer-centric  in order to serve taxpayers better through simplified tax processes. The  introduction of Stationless PIN Service Delivery will mark a significant step in  simplifying tax registration, promoting voluntary compliance, and increasing 

customer satisfaction by taxpayers across the country.” 

“Our goal is to make registration, filing, and payment processes as frictionless  as possible — so that taxpayers can focus on growing their businesses and daily  lives while we focus on service excellence.” He added.

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Currently, most taxpayer services under Domestic Taxes are managed through  a station-based system that assigns tasks to Tax Service Offices (TSOs) based  on turnover (for Large & Medium Taxpayers) or physical Addresses (for Micro  and Small Taxpayers). For Customs, services are managed either through the  customs station of processing such as a border station, Inland Container Depots (ICDs), Bonded Warehouses, or centrally at HQ. 

While this model has served KRA for many years, it has also led to high  compliance costs to the taxpayer, administrative delays, as well as occasional  service inconsistency and system gaps in the provision of taxpayer services.  

To complement the ongoing taxpayer service reforms, KRA has already  introduced a USSD solution, allowing taxpayers to access key services without  the need for internet connectivity or smartphones. By dialling *222# and  selecting Option 5 for KRA services, taxpayers can now retrieve or verify their  PINs and access other essential services from any phone.  

The Authority has also launched a WhatsApp chatbot to provide interactive  support taxpayers with smartphones, enabling faster query resolution and on demand access to information. 

Currently, KRA operates 136 service points across the country, serving an  estimated 22 million registered taxpayers. However, the concentration of these  centres in urban areas has limited reach to rural and underserved populations. 

To address this, KRA is rolling out an agent model, commonly used by banks  and mobile phone service providers, to extend its footprint. The first cohort of  10,000 agents is set to be recruited this year. These agents will provide basic services such as registration, tax filing, and payments.  

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