The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has made a u-turn on its earlier decision to confiscate and destroy all goods found in containers alongside counterfeit goods.
Following protests from small traders who lamented that they had been unable to clear their goods at the Port due to the government crackdown on counterfeit products, the taxman declared a two-week amnesty period allowing the traders to clear their items.
The traders estimate the worth of goods held at the Port of Mombasa to be around Sh10 billion.
“Following extensive consultations between the government and representatives of the Small Business Traders Association, an understanding was reached on the need to alleviate the burden incurred by the traders on containers whose clearance has been delayed for various reasons.
“It should be noted that this is a one-off amnesty applicable to goods that arrived in the country by 30th June 2018,” the memo from KRA Commissioner for Customs and Border Control Julius Musyoki read in part.
[caption caption="Small traders protesting in Nairobi on 04/07/2018"]
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All five General Managers at the Port of Mombasa were directed to ensure the process begins immediately.
At least 217 containers are expected to be released as a result of the directive.
In May, KRA had issued a tough notice warning importers, exporters and clearing and forwarding agents that any counterfeit or concealed goods found in a container would lead to forfeiture and destruction of the entire consignment.
This caused a problem as one container often contains goods belonging to multiple traders.
Traders took to the streets of Nairobi demanding that the government take action.
They blamed the state for hurting small businesses under the guise of cracking down on imported contaminated sugar and fertilizer.
[caption caption="KRA Commissioner-General John Njiraini"]
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