The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), in collaboration with the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA), will enforce mandatory Digital Marine Cargo Insurance (MCI) for all consignments entering Kenya from November 1, 2026.
Following the implementation of the new rules, importers and clearing agents must ensure that all consignments entering the country are covered by valid marine cargo insurance policies issued exclusively by IRA-licensed insurers.
“Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), in collaboration with the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA), will be enforcing mandatory Digital Marine Cargo Insurance (MCI) effective 1st November, 2026, following previous notices. Importers and clearing agents must ensure that all incoming consignments into Kenya are covered by a valid MCI policy issued exclusively by an IRA – licensed insurer,” KRA noted on October 22.
In a notice issued on October 22, KRA clarified that the requirement follows previous notices and warned that consignments that fail to meet the conditions will be blocked from clearance.
Digital insurance certificates mandatory
KRA has directed importers and clearing agents to process marine cargo insurance certificates before lodging customs declarations.
Importers must also complete the required insurance procedures and confirm that their certificates have been transmitted to the customs platform before submitting declarations for their consignments.
“To proceed with Customs clearance, the insurance certificate must be processed through the Digital MCI System and successfully transmitted to the iCMS platform before lodging a declaration,” KRA directed.
Importers and clearing agents can initiate the application through approved channels, including insurance company websites and insurance company mobile applications.
Alternatively, importers can use the Kenya International Freight and Warehousing Association (KIFWA) web portal and the eCitizen platform.
Also Read: KRA Clarifies Invoice Systems Accepted for Government Payments
How the KRA Digital Marine Cargo Insurance Process Works
An importer or clearing agent must provide the relevant IDF number or retrieve the declaration details through one of the approved platforms to begin the process.
Once the information is retrieved, the selected insurance company underwrites and assesses the cargo details to decide whether to accept the risk.
If the insurer accepts the risk, it initiates an invoice request through its integration with the eCitizen application programming interface (API).
The insurer’s eCitizen API then validates the premium invoice against the approved insurance rates available through the IRA system.
After validation, the system generates and transmits the invoice to the customer or clearing agent for confirmation and payment through the eCitizen payment API, using Pesaflow as the designated payment gateway.
The importer or clearing agent must also review and confirm the information captured in the application.
After payment is processed, the system transmits the relevant certificate data and payment notifications to KRA iCMS, the Association of Kenya Insurers (AKI), and the insurers.
The AKI then generates and transmits the Digital Marine Cargo Insurance Certificate to KRA’s iCMS platform, enabling verification for customs clearance.
Also Read: KRA Reveals Goods Driving September Customs Revenue Growth as Collections Rise by 5.8%
Compliance Requirements for Importers and Clearing Agents
The procedure requires that all imported cargo have a valid Digital Marine Cargo Insurance Certificate before customs clearance.
The designated eCitizen-Pesaflow payment gateway must also confirm premium payment before the certificate can be issued.
In addition, the certificate must be successfully transmitted to KRA iCMS for verification.
KRA has emphasized that it will not issue a DMCI certificate without confirmation of premium payment from the official payment gateway.
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