The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has allayed fears that it has already rolled out an artificial intelligence system to track tax evasion, amid confusion and uproar among Kenyan taxpayers.
Earlier reports circulating online suggested that the tax agency had introduced an Intelligence Analysis Tool (IAT) to analyse massive financial datasets, raising concerns among business owners and workers who feared closer monitoring of their income streams.
To clear the air, Kenyans.co.ke conducted an exclusive interview with KRA, which made clear that it had not communicated any rollout of such a system and urged the public to rely only on announcements issued through its official communication channels for updates.
“We haven’t received that message yet, so I don’t know where you’re getting the information. That information has not come from KRA. At the moment, don’t put it into action until it comes from our KRA office,” highlighted KRA.
KRA Commissioner of the Micro & Small Taxpayers Department, George Obell, made it clear, speaking at the 7th Edition of the MSMEs Conference & Expo at the Sarit Centre on March 13, that KRA does not track individuals on social media and other digital platforms, but it has an obligation to bridge the tax compliance gap.
“We are actually not looking into that environment, but there some other useful data that KRA has, that can actually be used to track tax compliance, but not those things flaunted on the digital ecosystem,” stated Obell.
However, KRA made it clear in November 2025, with then-Commissioner Humphrey Wattanga, that the agency planned to integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) into its tax administration systems to enhance revenue mobilisation, improve accuracy, and detect patterns of tax evasion.
According to the KRA, the tool is meant to modernise tax administration and crack down on tax evasion. This system serves as a centralised intelligence repository, enabling the KRA to analyse massive datasets from multiple third-party sources, including the Business Registration Service (BRS).
The rollout, according to KRA, was to happen in phases from January 1, 2026, with the initial launch of the automated validation framework for 2025 tax returns.
The full rollout will be in June 2026, with AI cargo scanners at ports integrated to enhance surveillance of goods, followed by a phased expansion to achieve full algorithmic enforcement across more sectors between late 2026 and early 2027.
The aim, according to KRA, is to transition from manual, person-led inspections to data-driven, algorithm-based assessments to reduce human error and corruption.
With this in mind, KRA made it clear that it has not made any official communications, and in the event of any major development, communications will be made to the public via the authority’s official channels.
“If there is any communication, we will communicate via our email, like our normal email address. So, the rollout has not been done, and we have not gotten the information. So, until we get it approved, then we can send the information to you,” stated the KRA-Kenyans.co.ke