The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has appointed George Obell, as the Commissioner for the Micro and Small Taxpayers Department (MST), effective November 10, 2025.
In a statement on X on Monday, the taxman stated that the move is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen institutional capacity, enhance service delivery, and promote organizational excellence.
Obell has been serving in an acting capacity since the department's establishment on March 1, 2025.
“With over 28 years of experience in tax administration, he brings extensive strategic and technical expertise to the role,” KRA said.
Prior to this appointment, Obell served as Deputy Commissioner for the Medium Taxpayers Office (MTO) and as Deputy Commissioner for the East & South of Nairobi (E&SoN) Tax Service Office.
In these capacities, he led key reforms focused on tax digitalization, including the successful implementation of electronic invoicing systems, the adoption of data analytics, and the use of risk-based compliance interventions to enhance operational efficiency.
Obell currently chairs the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) VAT Technical Committee and is an expert in several areas of taxation.
“His expertise spans various areas of tax policy and administration, including digital taxation, transfer pricing, Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS), tax audits, and Exchange of Information (EOI),” added KRA.
In recognition of his outstanding service and leadership in tax reform, Obell was awarded the Moran of the Order of the Burning Spear (MBS) by the President of Kenya.
He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from the University of Nairobi, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the United States International University (USIU)-Africa.
He is also a member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK).
The appointment comes as the taxman earlier in the year announced that it had trained its guns on the informal sector of the economy in a bid to raise more taxes.
KRA is targeting businesses and individuals with a turnover of Sh200 million and below in its efforts to widen the tax net.
According to then-Acting Commissioner of the KRA Department of Micro & Small Taxpayers, George Obell, despite the high numbers that comprise the sector, its contribution in tax revenue has remained negligible.
Obell pointed out that the formation of the department was to solely address the unique needs of players in the category.
“What we miss on the large and medium side is that the numbers are on this other side; for example, we have about 20 million PIN holders and most of them are the small and micro taxpayers, these are the ones we want to focus on. And if you look at the entire bucket of domestic taxes, medium, large and government agencies give us about 86 percent, and all these other numbers give us only 14 percent, and you see the opportunity there to be able to grow the basket,” said Obell.
