The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has achieved a historic milestone, collecting an unprecedented Ksh 85.146 billion in customs taxes in September 2025, the highest monthly revenue in its history. This figure surpasses the previous record of Ksh 82.554 billion set in January 2025, marking a significant leap in the agency’s revenue collection efforts.
The September haul exceeded KRA’s target of Ksh 81.341 billion by Ksh 3.806 billion, achieving an impressive performance rate of 104.7%. Compared to the same period last year, collections reflect a robust 18.8% year-on-year growth, underscoring the agency’s consistent upward trajectory.
Driving this success were strong performances in trade and petroleum taxes. Trade taxes brought in Ksh 51.737 billion, surpassing the target of Ksh 50.739 billion with a 102.0% performance rate and a 22.1% increase from the previous year.
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Petroleum taxes outperformed expectations even further, generating Ksh 33.408 billion against a target of Ksh 30.602 billion, achieving a remarkable 109.2% performance rate.
KRA attributes this record-breaking achievement to strategic reforms aimed at boosting efficiency and transparency. A key initiative is the establishment of a central release operations office, where head verification officers work from a single hub to assign release stations for cargo verification and clearance randomly. This system has reduced human interaction, minimizing opportunities for revenue leakage while ensuring more objective decision-making. The reform has also slashed cargo release turnaround times, enhancing operational efficiency.
KRA’s latest triumph underscores its commitment to modernizing tax collection systems and achieving ambitious revenue targets. The record-breaking collections are poised to bolster Kenya’s economic stability, supporting critical government initiatives and fostering sustained growth.
