Kenya’s taxman has crossed a line it has never crossed this early—Sh2.112 trillion in revenue with two months still left in the 2024 / 25 financial year.
The haul, recorded by April 30, meets 96.5 percent of the Sh2.189 trillion target KRA set for the ten-month window and beats last year’s collections for the same period by 6.1 percent.
Domestic taxes brought in Sh1.386 trillion, up 4.7 percent on last year’s pace. Customs duties were even stronger, climbing 9.1 percent to Sh722.7 billion.
“Customs revenue also showed strong performance, registering a 9.1 per cent growth,” KRA said.
Agency revenue—money KRA gathers for other state bodies—rose the fastest, surging 37.1 percent to Sh205.5 billion and overshooting its target by nearly 12 percent. Exchequer revenue reached Sh1.906 trillion, reflecting a 95 percent achievement rate.
| Stream | July 2024–Apr 2025 (Sh bn) | YoY Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic taxes | 1 386.0 | +4.7 % |
| Customs duties | 722.7 | +9.1 % |
| Agency collections | 205.5 | +37.1 % |
| Total revenue | 2 112.0 | +6.1 % |
Even so, KRA says the economy is working against it. GDP growth slowed to 4.0 percent in Q3 2024 from 6.0 percent a year earlier. The PMI averaged 49.8, signalling shrinking private-sector activity, while imports and exports both declined.
Borrowing costs have stayed stubbornly high despite a lower Central Bank rate, and a stronger shilling dragged oil imports down 10.2 percent. Policy tweaks that let workers deduct SHIF and the Housing Levy from taxable income also trimmed Pay-As-You-Earn receipts.
To squeeze out every shilling, KRA leaned on new tech: a Centralised Release Office sped up cargo clearance, and the Electronic Rental Income Tax System is nudging landlords to comply. A tax-amnesty drive has already netted Sh13.5 billion and wiped Sh164.9 billion in penalties for more than three million taxpayers.
If collections keep rising at the current pace, KRA could finish the fiscal year with its strongest showing yet, even in the face of a cooling economy.
