Rispah Simiyu. PHOTO | COURTESY The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has appointed Rispah Simiyu as the new Commissioner for Domestic Taxes.
Mrs Simiyu is currently serving as the KRA Deputy Commissioner in charge of the Tax Dispute Resolution docket.
She is expected to take up her new role from October 22, 2020 following a competitive recruitment exercise conducted by the KRA Board and an external consultant that begun on August 8, 2020.
The exercise attracted 32 applicants with four making it to the final level.
The Domestic Taxes Department accounts for 65% of KRA revenue collections: Mrs Simiyu is tasked with the role of delivering on this mandate.
A statement from Amb. Francis Muthaura, the Chairman KRA Board of Directors, said she has grown the dispute resolution profile over the years from the settlement of 90 disputes to 284 disputes from 2018 to 2020.
“Mrs Simiyu is a seasoned and grounded tax professional with over 19 years of experience,” Amb. Muthaura said.
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.
While at the bank, she also served as a member of the Kenya Bankers Association (KBA) Finance and Audit Committee, and specifically as the Chairperson of the Tax Sub-Committee whose responsibilities included training management and staff of KBA members on existing and emerging tax issues.
Mrs Simiyu began 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 with a focus on International Trade and Investment from the University of Nairobi.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.She has practised and consulted on tax matters in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and is thus well versed with the tax laws of these countries.Video Of The Day: | BULLDOZERS FOR SANITIZERS | Families remain in the cold after evictions from Kariobangi sewage estate
