The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has suffered a blow after the High Court declared the recruitment of 1,406 Revenue Service Assistants (RSA) unconstitutional.
Justice William Musyoka while delivering the ruling on Monday, March 4, said a bigger percentage of the advertised slots were allocated to two communities, violating inclusivity and regional balance.
“A declaration that the June 2023 recruitment of the 1,406 revenue service assistants was unconstitutional, as it offends the preamble to the Constitution and the provisions of Articles 10, 27, 56 and 232(g)(h)(i) of the Constitution,” read the ruling in part.
Justice Musyoka also barred the taxman from recruiting and appointing any staff until the authority puts in place an ethnic diversity and regional balance policy.
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The High Court Judge said the policy should be in place within thirty days from the date of the judgment.
“An order barring the respondents from recruiting and appointing staff at all levels, until an ethnic diversity and regional balance policy is deployed, giving effect to the values and principles stated in the preamble and Article 232(g)(b)(i) of the Constitution, which policy should be in place within 30 days of this order,” Musyoka added.
KRA in September 2023 deployed RSAs to help with the discharge of services to Kenyans.
This is after they graduated from the Recruits Training College in Eldoret, where they had undergone a two-month training.
"Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) informs the public that it has rolled out a Revenue Service Assistants (RSAs) program whose mandate is to support taxpayers with their compliance needs.
"The RSAs will provide on-site facilitation to taxpayers, which will involve physical visits to taxpayer premises within the country,” KRA said in a notice then.
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