The government has issued a statement through the National Treasury Cabinet secretary Ukur Yatani allowing the duty-free importation of dates during the month of Ramadhan.
Dates are dark-skinned fruits with minimal rips and tears harvested from date palm trees.
The Holy month of Ramadhan entails fasting which is among the five pillars of Islam and is observed by Muslims worldwide who break their fast at sundown every evening. They consume dates before eating any other meal during this period.
The start of Ramadan fluctuates every year because the lunar Islamic calendar follows the phases of the moon. The beginning and end are determined by a moon-sighting committee in Saudi Arabia. In this regard, the government has lifted the taxes for the month which will be observed from April 12, 2021, to May 13, 2021.
"In the past few years, the government as a gesture of manifesting goodwill to our Muslim brothers has allowed the duty-free importation of dates for use by the Muslims or paid the relevant taxes in the absence of legal provisions for waivers."
"In order to give the same support to our Muslim brothers, the government has authorized that the dates be imported and cleared between April 1, 2021, and May 2021 be done without the payment of taxes, import Declaration Fee and Railway Development Levy," read the statement signed by Commissioner General of Kenya Revenue Authority, Githii Mburu.
The Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala on Wednesday, February 24, acknowledged the lift and thanked the President in a tweet on his page.
"The government has once again allowed duty-free importation of dates, during the Holy Month of Ramadhan. On behalf of my Muslim brothers and sisters, I’d like to express my gratitude to President Uhuru Kenyatta, for his continued support to the Muslim community," he wrote.
According to Muslims, Ramadhan teaches them to practise self-discipline, self-control, sacrifice, and empathy for those who are less fortunate, thus encouraging actions of generosity and compulsory charity.
