The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has come up with a new way to reduce the amount of uncleared cargo at the Port of Mombasa – by selling it. More than a thousand unclaimed containers at the port have resulted in all types of merchandise (ranging from sugar, kitchenware and 4 800 bags of Pakistani rice to tyres and used cars) being auctioned.

Even after a 60-day waiver for cargo imported pre-November 2014 had expired, more than 1 000 vehicles and nearly 1 160 containers still remained unclaimed. According to a Daily Nation report, the abandoned cargo is owned by importers from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, DRC, Burundi, South Sudan and Rwanda – resulting in more than KSh200 million in accumulated rent being waived.

KRA regional manager Nicholas Kinoti says that despite the revenue authority publicising the amnesty, the response was still worse than the previous amnesties.

‘We are going to auction all overstayed goods and will keep on doing so to discourage importers from keeping cargo at the port,’ says Kinoti.

14 June 2016
Image: Gallo/GettyImages