Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has invited applicants to fill the position of Commissioner for Customs & Border Control which is currently held in an acting capacity by Ms. Pamela Ahago.
She was appointed on 25th April last year. Ahago was serving as the Deputy Commissioner for Policy & International Affairs and replaced Kevin Safari, who was sent on compulsory leave over alleged abuse of office.
Applicants have until 12th February this year to submit their applications and must hold a university Degree in Business Administration, Economics, Law, or related fields from a recognized institution.
They will also be required to have at least 15 years’ relevant experience in Customs or Security Management Operations, with not less than ten 10 years in a senior leadership role, within corporate management operations in a large public or private organisation.
This appointment is on contractual terms for a period of five years renewable for one further term, subject to relevant public service regulations governing staff tenure.
“Successful applicants will be required to undergo corruption and security background vetting in accordance with KRA and government procedures,” the job advertisement placed in the local media said.
Applicants will be required to satisfy the requirements of Chapter Six of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 including: A Valid Certificate of Tax Clearance from Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Valid Certificate of Good Conduct from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and clearance from the Ethics & Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).
They will be required to produce a Self-Declaration form from EACC, clearance Certificate from Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), and a report from an approved Credit Reference Bureau (CRB).
“For KRA internal candidates, any person who has served at the position of Senior Assistant Commissioner or Manager and above, and meets the criteria stipulated above is encouraged to apply,” read the invite in part.
The successful candidate will provide strategic leadership in driving the overall performance, transformation and change agenda in the Customs & Border Control Department; Develop and implement strategies to effectively mobilise customs revenue due from cross border trading activities and counter tax evasion.
He or she will also facilitate trade by promoting efficient cross border movement of goods in line with Kenya’s stated international trade goals; Develop and implement effective border control and management strategies to secure cross border trade, and interdict trafficking in illicit and harmful products.
The successful candidate will also facilitate international trade by ensuring simplified and harmonized customs procedures to expedite clearance of goods; drive custom’s transactional risk management strategies and enhance inter-agency collaboration and protect society and environment through enforcement of prohibitions and restrictions on illegal trade.
He will also develop and manage departmental work plan and budgets, and oversee collection, collation and compilation of trade statistics on all imports and exports.
The new commissioner comes in the wake of a huge success by KRA custom collection, which closed the calendar year 2020 on a high after managing to surpass its December collection target and setting the stage for an improved performance this year.
For the month under review, the Customs & Border Control (C&BC) Department recorded the highest ever monthly revenue collection in KRA’s history by collecting Kshs 60.777 billion reflecting a growth of 40.9% and registering a revenue surplus of Kshs 12.191 billion.
“This resulted in a cumulative surplus for Customs revenue of Kshs 3.788 billion at the end of December 2020 compared to a deficit of Kshs 8.402 billion as at the end of November 2020,” Mr Githii Mburu, Commissioner General of KRA said in statement this week.
Average daily dry revenue progressively increased to Kshs 1.744 million in December 2020, the highest ever daily average collection for Customs Revenue. Exemptions and remissions in Customs declined by 39.3%, positively impacting the revenue base by Ksh 3.344 billion which is consistent with efforts by Government to address the growth of remissions and exemptions which have undermined revenue mobilisation over the years.