Don't deliver uninspected cargo, KRA warns dealers

Mv.Clemens Schulte offloads cargo at the port of Mombasa on August, 20, 2015. Kenya Revenue Authority has warned Cargo ships and planes against delivering un inspected cargo in the country. PHOTO | LABAN WALLOGA | NATION MEDIA GROUP  

In Summary

• The government has warned ships and cargo planes against delivering uninspected goods into the country.
• Any cargo that fails to conform shall be consigned back to the country of origin at the carriers’ cost.

By JAMES KARIUKI
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The government has warned ships and cargo planes against delivering uninspected goods into the country.

The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) said in a statement: “With effect from January 1, 2016, only cargo that was inspected at country of origin by Kenya Bureau of Standards-appointed agents will be accepted for delivery at Kenyan ports. Any other cargo that fails to conform shall not be permitted to off-load and shall be consigned back to the country of origin at the carriers’ cost."

The order by KRA is a follow-up to last month’s directive to all importers that only goods inspected at country of origin will be allowed into the country so as to safeguard national security and public health.

LAPSE AT MOMBASA PORT

The announcement seems to portray a lapse at Mombasa port and airports that the December 1, 2015 directive has not been fully abided with thereby allowing un-inspected goods into the country.

The Pre-Export Verification of Conformity (PVoC) order issued by Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) placed a red alert requiring all goods be checked at country of origin by Kebs appointed agents who will in turn supervise loading onto container and place serialised seal whose details will be communicated to KRA and the standards body.

Kebs’ directive intends to eradicate graft at the port that has seen harmful items allowed in.

Kebs said the PVoC directive would effectively deal with false declarations as errant forwarding companies will be blacklisted.

STORAGE COSTS

On Friday, KRA insisted that only cargo inspected at countries of origin would be received with their owners allowed to ferry the same out of the port within 24 hours upon arrival.

This will ease storage costs incurred at the port and container freight stations where goods are normally kept awaiting clearance and inspection.