The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) is in the process of introducing Stationless Personal Identification Number (PIN) Service Delivery to enhance access to taxpayer services across the country, regardless of where one registers or operates as a taxpayer.
The 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 that KRA is retooling how taxpayers access support from the Tax Head 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,” he highlighted.
The Chairman announced that 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.
Notably, 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 said that 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,” explained Wattanga, noting that the introduction of Stationless PIN Service Delivery would mark a significant step in simplifying tax registration, promoting voluntary compliance, and increasing customer satisfaction among 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.
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 for the taxpayer and 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.
Further, the Authority has also launched a WhatsApp chatbot to provide interactive support to 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 with the first cohort of 10,000 agents, set to be recruited this year. The agents will provide basic services, such as registration, tax filing, and payments.
By Michael Omondi
