Adan Abdulla Mohamed has officially been sworn in as the new Commissioner General of the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), despite a court petition challenging the appointment at the country’s tax agency.
His appointment was made by Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi through a Kenya Gazette notice, with the decision taking effect on May 18, 2026.
KRA has recently undergone a leadership transition following the exit of former Commissioner General Humphrey Wattanga in April.
Before Adan’s appointment, KRA appointed Commissioner for Customs and Border Control, Lilian Nyawanda, as the acting Commissioner General
Petition Challenges Appointment of Adan to KRA
A petitioner, Benard Opere, moved to the High Court seeking to overturn Adan Mohamed’s appointment as KRA Commissioner General, arguing that it violates constitutional and public service regulations on retirement age.
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In court documents, Opere claims the appointment contravenes Regulation 70 of the Public Service Commission Regulations, 2020, which sets the mandatory retirement age for public officers at 60 years.
The petitioner further contends that the appointment is “illegal, null and void ab initio” and violates key constitutional provisions, including Articles 10, 73, and 232 of the Constitution, which outline national values and principles of governance, leadership and integrity, as well as standards of public service such as accountability, transparency, professionalism, and ethical conduct.
According to the filings, Opere argues that the appointment also offends provisions of the Public Service Commission Act and undermines the rule of law by allegedly disregarding statutory retirement requirements.
He further maintains that publicly available records indicate Mohamed was born in December 1963, making him approximately 62 years old, and therefore ineligible for appointment to the position under the stated regulations.
Profile of the new KRA’s Commissioner General
Adan Mohamed was born on December 1, 1963, in El Wak, Mandera County, in Kenya’s North Eastern region.
For secondary education, he studied at Kangaru High School in Embu County.
Mohammed later joined the University of Nairobi (UoN), where he graduated in 1989 with a First-Class Bachelor of Commerce degree.
He began his professional training at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), where he qualified as a chartered accountant after training in London.
He enrolled at Harvard Business School, where he completed a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in 1998.
He later moved into consulting, working with Shell in Nigeria.
Mohamed joined Barclays Bank after completing his MBA studies, rising through the ranks to become Managing Director for East and West Africa.
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He was then appointed as Cabinet Secretary for Industrialization and Enterprise Development by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
In 2018, he was reassigned to head the Ministry of East African Community, where he served until 2022, handling regional integration, trade policy, and cooperation within the East African bloc.
In 2022, Mohamed resigned from government to contest the Mandera gubernatorial seat but was unsuccessful, marking a brief exit from public office.
Following the 2022 General Election, Mohamed returned to government as a member of President William Ruto’s Council of Economic Advisors.
In November 2023, he was appointed Chief of Strategy Execution in the Executive Office of the President, where he oversees the implementation of government programs and the coordination of key policy priorities
