The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has intercepted unauthorised goods worth more than Ksh280 million at the Port of Mombasa, foiling an attempt to smuggle contraband cigarettes into the country.
In a statement issued on Friday, KRA said the seizure involved over 9.3 million sticks of illicit cigarettes with an estimated market value of Ksh281.1 million. The consignment had been concealed in a 40-foot container and was intercepted following actionable intelligence.
“The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has intercepted over 9.3 million sticks of contraband cigarettes with a market value of Ksh281.1 million at the Port of Mombasa. The seizure foiled an attempt to unlawfully import the goods,” the authority said.
Acting on the intelligence, KRA assembled a multi-agency verification team that subjected the container to a 100 per cent physical examination due to the nature of the cargo. The operation brought together officers from KRA, Port Police, the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), the Anti-Counterfeit Authority (ACA), Port Health Services, and the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA).
The joint inspection confirmed that the consignment comprised 937 cartons containing 9,370,000 sticks of cigarettes labelled “Made in Sudan,” despite being consigned from Cambodia. Investigations further revealed that the shipment was routed through Singapore before arriving in Kenya and was allegedly destined for South Sudan.
KRA said the total taxes payable on the goods amounted to Ksh83.39 million, including Ksh38.42 million in excise duty and Ksh44.98 million in value-added tax (VAT). The authority warned that such smuggling attempts undermine legitimate trade and pose serious public health risks.
The seizure comes barely six days after KRA intercepted illicit ethanol worth Ksh16.26 million near the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) corridor in Nairobi. In that operation, enforcement officers recovered 5,000 litres of unauthorised ethanol that had been offloaded and stored in a yard, despite the transporting lorries fleeing the scene.