Kenya Revenue Authority Brings Back Nil Returns, but with a Catch

Why It Matters

The initiatives tighten tax compliance, accelerate AI‑driven enterprise solutions, and enhance digital payment reliability, reshaping revenue streams and consumer trust in the region’s economies.

Key Takeaways

• KRA will auto‑verify nil returns using pre‑populated data
• TripDesk generated $2.4 M revenue, 30% profit in four months
• CBN/NCC plan quarterly audits of airtime and data providers
• Real‑time refunds targeted within 30 seconds for failed transactions

Pulse Analysis

Kenya’s Revenue Authority has revived the option to file nil returns, but couples it with a sophisticated verification engine that pre‑populates iTax forms from payroll, eTIMS invoices, mobile‑money and other data sources. From April 1, 2026, any zero‑income claim that conflicts with the system’s records triggers an automatic flag, prompting penalties or audit. The move closes a loophole that allowed hundreds of thousands to claim no income despite withholding tax deductions, reinforcing Kenya’s push toward a fully digital tax administration and improving revenue collection reliability.

In the fintech arena, Nigerian entrepreneur Mark Essien’s TripDesk has demonstrated how AI‑driven workflow automation can scale profit quickly. Launched only months ago, the platform has booked $2.3‑$2.4 million in revenue and delivered roughly 30 % net profit with fewer than thirty corporate clients. By embedding policy‑based approvals, budgeting controls and invoice reconciliation into a single interface, TripDesk cuts travel‑request cycles from minutes to seconds, addressing a long‑standing pain point for large enterprises. The rapid cash‑flow validates the appetite for AI‑enhanced travel management across Africa and signals further expansion opportunities.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s central bank and communications regulator are joining forces to curb the chronic problem of failed airtime and data purchases. Their draft framework proposes quarterly joint audits, real‑time transaction alerts and automated refunds within 30 seconds, while limiting banks to two retry attempts per transaction. By mandating a shared monitoring dashboard and public SLA scorecards, the regulators aim to increase transparency and restore consumer confidence in digital payments. If implemented, the measures could reduce revenue leakage for telcos, improve service reliability, and set a regional benchmark for fintech oversight.

Kenya Revenue Authority brings back nil returns, but with a catch

February 10, 2026 · Victoria Fakiya · Senior Writer, Techpoint Digest

KRA brings back nil returns, but with a catch

Kenyans can breathe a small sigh of relief. Why? Nil returns are back. The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has reinstated the option after briefly suspending it in January. But this time, it’s not business as usual. From April 1, 2026, anyone filing nil returns for the 2025 tax year will be checked by an automated system designed to spot people declaring zero income while clearly earning money.

What’s changed is how KRA verifies what you earn. The tax authority has rolled out pre‑populated returns, meaning your income details will already be filled in before you even log into iTax. If tax was deducted from your pay, KRA already knows how much you earned, and you won’t be able to erase it and claim nil.

This matters because the taxman has discovered hundreds of thousands of people who had withholding tax deducted in 2024 but still declared zero income. Many thought withholding tax was “final tax.” It isn’t. It’s just an advance, and you’re still required to declare the full income and settle any balance due.

Behind the scenes, KRA’s systems now pull data from almost everywhere: eTIMS invoices, withholding tax certificates, mobile‑money transactions, customs records, vehicle registrations, and even travel patterns. If your lifestyle doesn’t match what you declare, the system flags it instantly. No grace period, no back‑and‑forth explanations later.

For taxpayers, the message is simple: be honest and engage early. Mismatches can lead to penalties, interest, audits of previous years, and even denial of a tax compliance certificate — something you’ll need for loans, tenders, and other official processes. The deadline to file is still June 30, 2026, but the era of “nil and hope for the best” is officially over.

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How Mark Essien built a profitable business in four months

Fourteen years after launching Hotels.ng, Mark Essien is back with a new product—and this one didn’t need years to find its footing.

TripDesk, an AI‑powered enterprise travel‑management platform, has generated $2.3–$2.4 million in revenue just four months after launch, with roughly 30 % of that as profit. The twist? It has fewer than thirty customers.

The idea for TripDesk came from Hotels.ng’s biggest customers—large enterprises whose travel processes were drowning in approvals, invoices, reimbursements, and endless email threads. Booking hotels was the easy part. Managing travel at scale was the real problem.

TripDesk mirrors how large companies actually work: multi‑level approvals, strict policies, budgeting, invoicing, and reimbursements—all in one system. The AI doesn’t generate content; it quietly assists decision‑makers by interpreting policies and context so approvals that once took twenty minutes now take seconds.

Essien’s unfair advantage shows up elsewhere too. TripDesk was built using talent from HNG, the training programme he founded in 2016, giving him rapid access to skilled engineers and product builders.

With clients already asking for pan‑African expansion, Essien’s second act is shaping up to be quieter—but no less formidable.

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CBN, NCC move to end failed airtime and data debits

Nigeria’s two biggest digital regulators are finally teaming up to tackle one of the country’s most common everyday frustrations: paying for airtime or data, getting debited, and receiving nothing. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) have proposed regular joint audits of banks, telcos, and payment players as part of a new national framework to curb failed airtime and data transactions.

The proposal, published in an exposure draft dated February 5, 2026, outlines how both regulators plan to enforce clearer accountability across the financial and telecoms value chains. Under the framework, banks, mobile‑network operators, payment service providers, merchants, and other licensed players involved in airtime and data vending could be audited quarterly, or more often if needed, to ensure they are meeting service standards and consumer‑protection obligations.

Beyond audits, the framework gives the CBN and NCC powers to penalise erring players and clamp down on unlicensed intermediaries that often create system gaps. The regulators say only properly authorised entities should participate in airtime and data transactions, a move aimed at reducing failed transactions caused by poor integrations and weak backend systems.

The draft also goes after the issue Nigerians care about most: refunds. It proposes real‑time transaction notifications and automated reversals within seconds once a failed transaction is confirmed. Refunds for undelivered airtime or data are expected to be completed within 30 seconds in test environments, while banks will be limited to just two retry attempts to prevent multiple debits during network issues.

To keep everyone honest, the regulators want to introduce a central monitoring dashboard jointly managed by the CBN and NCC. This system would track failed transactions, reversals, SLA breaches, and consumer complaints in real time. Banks and telcos would also be required to publish quarterly SLA compliance scorecards, a public‑facing move designed to boost transparency and restore trust as digital payments become more central to everyday life.