The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) passed the trillion-shilling mark by the end of October 2026. That is a month earlier than in previous financial years. KRA announced the figures on Thursday and credited better revenue mobilisation, KBC Digital and Business Today reported.
October collections reached KSh 260.630 billion against a target of KSh 258.304 billion. That is a performance rate of 100.9% and a surplus of KSh 2.327 billion. Collections grew 15.5% from a year earlier. Growth was 8.0% in October 2025 and 6.5% in October 2024, The Eastleigh Voice reported.
Customs had its best month in KRA's history, collecting KSh 94.793 billion. That was KSh 1.009 billion above target and 11.3% higher than a year earlier. Taxes on non-oil imports drove the rise, growing 26% and posting a surplus of KSh 7.243 billion. Techweez noted that this suggests oil taxes fell short of plan. KRA's statement gave no figure for them.
Domestic revenue rose 18.1% to KSh 165.447 billion against a target of KSh 164.110 billion. Corporation tax was the standout at KSh 23.932 billion, 19.2% above target and up 31.6%. Firms in electricity, manufacturing, transport and wholesale paid about 81% of it. Domestic VAT rose 22.1% to KSh 33.367 billion, only just above target.
Excise duty beat its target for the first time in a long while, with a surplus of KSh 945 million and growth of 54.1%. KBC reported that payments from wine and spirits makers rose 110.8% and from tobacco makers 94.1%. Premium beer payments rose 43.5% and keg beer 0.3%. Techweez reported that soft drink payments fell 4.8% and bottled water payments fell 96.4%. KRA blamed the water drop on policy changes but did not say which ones.
KRA aims to collect KSh 3.268 trillion by the end of the financial year. "The Authority is confident that it will continue with the upward trajectory and achieve the set target," it said. Techweez calculated that KRA needs about KSh 2.258 trillion over the next eight months, or roughly KSh 282 billion a month. By that estimate, matching October every month would still leave it about KSh 173 billion short.