from MARIA MACHARIA in Nairobi, Kenya
Kenya Bureau
NAIROBI, (CAJ News) – KENYA is to invest more in modern technology to enhance trade, increase revenues from tax as well as cross-border trade.
This is according to a senior government official as the Kenya Revenue Agency (KRA) commemorated International Customs Day, celebrated annually on January 26.
John Tanui, Principal Secretary – State Department for ICT and Digital Economy, presided over the event in Nairobi, where he lauded KRA for modernising its systems through technology.
In the area of revenue collection for example, the adoption of technology is attributed to KRA registering revenue collection to the tune of over KSh791 billion (US$6,1 billion) in the 2023-2024 financial year, 4 percent up from the previous one.
Also during the period, KRA embarked on a rollout programme of the scanner solutions at border posts to modernise trade processes as well as enhance efficiency.
“As we look ahead, we must continue to invest in advanced analytic tools, inspection and monitoring devices, and capacity-building programs for our customs officers,” Tanui said.
KRA is set to benefit from Kenya’s ambitious Digital Superhighway Project.
“That is why we are investing heavily by deploying an additional 100 000 kilometers of fibre as part of our bottom-up transformation agenda,” Tanui said.
The ongoing project aims to connect more than 70 000 government offices and institutions to fibre as well as set up 25 000 public Wi-Fi spots in the East African country.
– CAJ News