Mbadi names Adan Mohamed as new KRA chief

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Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has appointed former Industrialisation Cabinet Secretary Adan Abdulla Mohamed as Commissioner General of the Kenya Revenue Authority for a three-year term.

The appointment takes effect Sunday, May 18, 2026, according to a special issue of the Kenya Gazette published the same day. Mohamed will serve under Section 11(1) of the Kenya Revenue Authority Act.

“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 years, with effect from the 18th May, 2026,” the gazette notice reads.

The move places Mohamed in charge of revenue collection at a time when the National Treasury faces pressure to widen the tax base and raise domestic mobilisation amid tight fiscal conditions.

Mbadi issued the appointment through the gazette notice, marking a leadership shift at an agency central to government financing.

Mohamed currently serves as Chief of Strategy Execution at State House under President William Ruto. He previously held senior government roles, including Cabinet Secretary for Industrialisation and Trade and a regional development docket within the East African Community.

Before government service, he worked in senior banking roles at Barclays Kenya, including Managing Director for East and West Africa and Chief Administrative Officer for Barclays Africa, overseeing operations across multiple markets.

He also worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers and Shell, later training as a chartered accountant in London. He earned a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School in 1998.

Born in Mandera County, Mohamed attended Kangaru High School and graduated from the University of Nairobi in 1989 with a first class Bachelor of Commerce degree.

He takes over after former Commissioner General Humphrey Wattanga exited earlier in 2026 following internal pressure linked to revenue performance concerns and governance disputes.

The board later appointed Dr Lilian Nyawanda as acting commissioner general.