Businesses and taxpayers using the Kenya Revenue Authority’s eTIMS platform have been left frustrated by technical disruptions that have made it difficult to download electronic tax invoices generated through the system.
The disruption, which has reportedly persisted for about three days, has affected taxpayers accessing KRA services through the eCitizen platform, with some users saying they can generate invoices but are unable to download or finalise them.
The technical difficulties have disrupted routine business transactions, with some taxpayers unable to complete payments and other processes that require valid electronic tax invoices.
The problem comes at a time when businesses are increasingly dependent on the Electronic Tax Invoice Management System (eTIMS) to meet their tax obligations and support day-to-day transactions.
eTIMS is KRA’s digital platform for generating, validating and transmitting electronic tax invoices. The system was introduced in 2023 as part of efforts to strengthen tax compliance, improve monitoring of business transactions and enhance the authority’s ability to track taxable economic activity.
Taxpayers are required to issue electronic tax invoices for eligible transactions, including invoices that support expense claims.
The latest disruption has raised concerns among businesses that rely on the platform for routine invoicing, particularly where completion of a transaction depends on producing or sharing a valid electronic invoice.
Access to eTIMS has also been complicated by recent downtime affecting the eCitizen platform, through which many taxpayers access government services.
The difficulties come as KRA expands the use of eTIMS across the economy and introduces greater integration between the tax system and other government platforms.
One of the latest developments is the integration of eTIMS with the government’s Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS), which handles financial transactions and payments involving government entities.
KRA said the integration, implemented in collaboration with the National Treasury, marks an important step towards improving transparency, accountability and efficiency in government transactions.
Under the new arrangement, suppliers doing business with government entities are required to generate valid eTIMS invoices before submitting them for payment through IFMIS.
Suppliers must also ensure that details appearing on their invoices correspond with information recorded in the eTIMS system and maintain updated tax records and compliance status.
KRA said the integration would allow government systems to automatically validate tax invoices, reducing the need for manual verification and potentially speeding up government payment processes.
“In collaboration with the National Treasury, we have successfully implemented the integration of eTIMS with IFMIS, marking an important milestone in improving transparency, accountability and efficiency in Government transactions,” KRA said.
The authority added that suppliers must generate valid eTIMS invoices before submitting them for payment through IFMIS and ensure the invoice details match those recorded in eTIMS.
The technical problems affecting invoice downloads, however, highlight the challenges that can arise when businesses depend heavily on digital government systems for essential commercial and compliance processes.
The disruptions could be particularly significant for suppliers dealing with government institutions, given the new requirement linking eTIMS invoices to the IFMIS payment process.
KRA has not, in the information available, indicated how long the latest technical difficulties are expected to last or provided a detailed explanation of the cause of the download failures.
For businesses, the immediate concern remains restoring full access to the invoicing system so that generated invoices can be downloaded and transactions completed without further delays.
The incident also underscores the importance of reliable digital infrastructure as Kenya continues shifting tax administration and government transactions from manual processes to integrated online platforms.
