KRA lifts container customs benchmark to Sh3.2m from Sh2.5m
Key points
- Kenya Revenue Authority raised the Customs Minimum Benchmark for containerised cargo from Sh2.5 million to Sh3.2 million.
- The new floor took effect 20 August 2026 after consultations with KIFWA, small traders, cargo consolidators and other private-sector groups.
- KRA says the Sh3.2 million line is a minimum reference, not a valuation stamped on every container; higher actual values must still be declared.
- The old Sh2.5 million benchmark had sat for about six years. KRA cites undervaluation, under-declaration, misdescription, misclassification and concealment inside consolidation boxes.
Sh3.2 million is the new customs floor for a consolidated container, up from Sh2.5 million. Kenya Revenue Authority put that in a Tuesday statement, Eastleigh Voice reported, and said the change already applied from 20 August 2026.
The talks list: Kenya International Freight and Warehousing Association, small traders, cargo consolidators and “other private-sector stakeholders.” KRA’s sentence to them: “This is not about targeting small traders. It is about creating a level playing field where businesses compete fairly.” Consolidation — many small shipments in one box — remains legal. The abuse KRA names is stuffing high-value goods under a cheap description so the old Sh2.5 million reference looks enough. “The Sh3.2 million benchmark does not mean that every container is valued at Sh3.2 million. If the actual value of the goods is higher, that value must be declared and the correct taxes paid.” The previous floor, the authority said, had not moved for roughly six years while import values and the mix of goods changed. It also says larger importers have used consolidation to cut their bill, undercutting compliant traders and local factories. After clearance, domestic tax on the sale of those goods still applies. A benchmark is an audit trigger, not a tariff schedule. Importers should still enter the correct HS code and transaction value; a Sh3.2 million box that is actually worth more is the case KRA says it is hunting. KIFWA has not, in this Eastleigh Voice note, published a dissenting circular.
A Sh3.2m poster is not your entry
If the goods are worth more, KRA’s own words say declare more. Freight agents should put that in the client email, not only the new floor.
Finance desk: Finance. Verified Sh2.5m→Sh3.2m, 20 August start and KIFWA consult from Eastleigh Voice.
KRA Customs should post the circular number. KIFWA should say what it agreed in the consultation.
Consolidators should re-price quotes dated after 20 August against the new floor.
Readers should cross-check any deadline, fee, court date or programme claim against primary gazettes, agency circulars and court records before acting on this report.
Official gazettes, court rulings and agency circulars may update these facts after publication; readers should verify any deadline, fee or court date against primary sources before acting.
Based on Eastleigh Voice reporting of KRA’s Tuesday customs statement. The legal instrument number was not in that account.
