Former Industrialisation Cabinet Secretary (CS) Adan Abdulla Mohamed has been appointed as the new Commissioner General of the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) for a three‑year term, effective May 18, 2026.
His appointment was confirmed in a special issue of the Kenya Gazette dated May 18, through a notice signed by Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 11 (1) of the Kenya Revenue Authority Act, the Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury appoints Adan Abdulla Mohamed to be the Commissioner General of Kenya Revenue Authority, for a period of three (3) years, with effect from the 18th May, 2026.” The gazette notice stated
Mohamed takes over from Humphrey Wattanga, who exited the agency in April, and succeeds Dr Lilian Nyawanda, who has been serving in an acting capacity for just over a month.
His appointment ushers in a new leadership era at the tax authority, which is under pressure to boost domestic revenue mobilisation amid rising economic demands and tight fiscal conditions.
The incoming KRA boss brings decades of experience in banking, economic policy, trade, and public administration. He previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Barclays Kenya, Managing Director for Barclays East and West Africa, and Chief Administrative Officer for Barclays Africa, overseeing operations across ten countries.
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In public service, Mohamed was appointed Cabinet Secretary for Industrialisation and Enterprise Development in 2013 under President Uhuru Kenyatta, where he spearheaded manufacturing growth and investment policy.
He was later reassigned in 2018 to head the Ministry of East African Community and Regional Development, a role he held until 2022.
Currently, Mohamed serves as Chief of Strategy Execution at the State House under President William Ruto’s administration. He is an alumnus of Kangaru High School and graduated with a first‑class Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Nairobi in 1989.
His professional journey began at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), where he trained as a chartered accountant in London before advancing to Harvard Business School, earning an MBA in 1998. He later worked with Shell Nigeria in corporate strategy before transitioning fully into banking, rising through senior roles at Barclays Bank of Kenya (now Absa Bank Kenya) to oversee regional operations across East and West Africa.
By Masaki Enock
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