The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has announced a waiver on penalties and interest for late filing of income tax returns following a system outage on June 30, 2025. In a public notice issued on July 1, the authority extended the deadline for filing taxes to July 5, 2025, offering relief to thousands of taxpayers affected by the technical disruption.
The system failure occurred on the last day of the tax filing season, leaving many Kenyans unable to submit their returns. KRA attributed the hitch to a high volume of users accessing the platform simultaneously, which overwhelmed its systems and disrupted both return filing and payment services.
“Due to the high volume of taxpayers attempting to file their returns on 30th June, 2025, the system experienced technical difficulties which disrupted the normal functioning of the return filing and payment services, preventing a number of taxpayers from submitting their returns on time,” read part of the KRA statement.
The tax agency, citing Section 89 (5a)(b) of the Tax Procedures Act, assured the public that any interest or penalties arising from late submissions would be waived—provided the returns are filed by July 5, 2025.
This move follows a one-day extension granted on Monday, which was initially set to expire at midnight on Tuesday. The extended deadline aims to accommodate taxpayers who were unable to meet the original cutoff due to no fault of their own.
KRA praised Kenyans for their high level of engagement and commitment to fulfilling their tax responsibilities, noting that the overwhelming turnout was a sign of trust in the country’s tax system.
Taxpayers are now encouraged to take advantage of the additional days to file their returns and pay any outstanding taxes. However, KRA emphasized that the extension only applies to those impacted by the technical delays.
The Commissioner General urged citizens to use the official KRA portal for filing and assured continued support throughout the extended period. While the authority has not detailed the exact cause of the glitch, it has acted promptly to safeguard taxpayers from penalties triggered by the service disruption.
