South Sudan Dismisses Claims of Collecting Taxes at Mombasa Port

Mombasa port
Several shipping containers at the Port of Mombasa
NCTTCA

The South Sudanese Government has addressed the issue of its customs systems at the Mombasa port, denying allegations of collecting taxes at the port, which had led to congestion of cargo.

Speaking in Mombasa on Wednesday, January 15, Simon Akuei Deng, the Commissioner General of the South Sudan National Revenue Authority (SSRA), clarified that the newly implemented customs system was intended to enhance transparency in cargo invoicing.

He dismissed the claims of tax collection at the Mombasa port, maintaining that they were installing a system to improve transparency in cargo importation in line with East African Community customs protocols, similar to other countries that have already implemented customs systems at the port.

"All the countries in the region have systems in Mombasa, this is exactly what we want to do. We want to install a system in Mombasa to bring originality to the invoices coming from different countries because there is a system already in place, we just need to tap into the EAC systems being used here," he stated.

South Sudan National Revenue Authority (SSRA) Simon Akuei
The Commissioner General of South Sudan National Revenue Authority (SSRA) Simon Akuei during a past event.
South Sudan National Revenues Authority

While the system has faced resistance from some stakeholders in the transport sector, South Sudanese authorities have vowed to remain steadfast in their commitment to its implementation.

"We have to reduce fraud by invoicing from the first entry point to the region and to eliminate the issue of diversion of goods within the region. If we don’t have a system in Mombasa, anyone could use a Sudanese name and vanish without being traced, which poses a danger to our revenue collection," he added.

He emphasised that the systems being installed will benefit all countries in the region.

"This is for the common good of everyone. We don’t want goods to vanish into Kenya or Congo under the name of South Sudan. We want systems that will effectively control, track, and manage goods and commodities being imported," he added.

On his part, John Deng Diar Diing, the Northern Corridor executive secretary, noted that they planned to facilitate the automation of South Sudan's customs systems at the port.

"Our target this year is to ensure South Sudan can automate its customs systems and integrate them into a single customs framework," the Northern Corridor executive secretary stated.

"And this is a system through which all our customs systems across six countries communicate and share data on a real-time basis," he added.

Earlier, traders at the port of Mombasa had blamed the government of South Sudan for the congestion of cargo being witnessed at the port.

In a press briefing in Mombasa on Thursday, January 2, the traders, under their umbrella body of the Kenya International Freight and Warehousing Association (KIFWA), faulted the South Sudanese government for imposing taxes on cargo destined for the country which they said hindered efficient clearance of cargo.

An Image of a cargo clearance officer supervising clearance at Mombasa port
An Image of a cargo clearance officer supervising clearance at Mombasa port
Photo
KPA