The Customs and Border Control Department, a subsidiary of the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), has put hundreds of goods confiscated at the Moi International Airport up for auctioning.
As per a notice published in the Gazette Notice dated November 9, the owners of the listed goods were required to collect their goods within 30 days, failure to which the department would auction them.
Among the goods listed include used laptops, hair products, whiskey, drones, a play station, and assorted clothes.
Other goods standing out on the list include silver chains, personal effects products, three cartons of sanitary towels, and glass products.
The customs department cited reasons including overstayed goods at its warehouse in Mombasa, abandonment by the owners or unclaimed goods as reasons for the auctioning.
“Notice is given that unless the under-mentioned goods are entered and removed from the custody of the Customs Warehouse Keeper, MIA within thirty (30) days of this notice, they may be sold by public auction on 18th December to 20th December 2023,” the notice read in part.
Further, the KRA body asked interested buyers of the listed goods to visit its warehouse at the airport in Mombasa for viewing on December 14 and on December 15 during office hours.
Also Read: KRA Announces Plans to Review Ksh75K Customs Limit After Uproar
KRA to destroy seized goods
In addition, the customs department announced an upcoming destruction exercise of goods seized in the airport.
The department cited reasons including entry of restricted goods, unclaimed items or abandoned items- most of which were perishable.
Among the goods set to be destroyed include toys, biscuits, shisha flavors, shisha pots, toy guns, walkie talkies, and Haller knives.
The destruction exercise, KRA announced, would take place at the airport.
“Notice is given that the under-mentioned condemned goods shall be disposed of by way of destruction after the expiry of thirty (30) days from the publication of this notice,” the Customs department announced.
Taxing personal items
The two notices came on the back of a heated debate surrounding the way Customs authorities have been handling Kenyans and visitors arriving from abroad at the various entry points.
Also Read: KRA Issues Directive on Goods Intercepted at JKIA
Initially, KRA had explained that all goods exceeding the value of Ksh75,000 would be subjected to taxation upon entry in entry points such as international airports.
However, the statement sparked outrage from irate Kenyans prompting the taxman to clarify that personal items would not be subjected to tax.
Speaking at a function on Friday, November 10, Government’s Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura announced that the government was working to raise the cap to $1,000 or Ksh1.5 million which he noted was the international standard.
“This 500 USD (Ksh 75,000) threshold is an East African Customs Regulations and I’ve engaged Mr Watanga of KRA and we’ve had conversations, that law is going to be reviewed because the standard is 10,000 USD,” Mwaura stated.
