Eldoret: In an active campaign to curb tax evasion schemes in order to boost revenue compliance, Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) enforcement teams have intercepted a consignment of 21,600 undeclared units of high-end smartphones worth Sh16,102,137 in tax at the Eldoret International Airport.
According to Kenya News Agency, the consignment was part of consolidated items that included 5,000 declared units of smartphones worth Sh6.4 million, shoes, clothes, auto spare parts, household items, and other electronic accessories. The interception followed an intelligence report that led to the discovery of the undeclared smartphones.
The Ag. Commissioner of Investigations and Enforcement, Levi Mukhweso, noted that the consignments were consigned to Pemba Cargo Limited and declared by Portyard Limited through a cargo plane that arrived on 18th September, 2025. Investigations revealed that declarations of the goods were made either expressly or under consolidated cargo under each category.
The tax evasion scheme is in violation of section 203 of the East Africa Community Customs Act (EACCMA) 2004. The act stipulates that any person who, in any matter relating to Customs, makes any entry that is false or incorrect in any particular, or is knowingly involved in any fraudulent evasion of duty payment, commits an offence. Such an offence is punishable by imprisonment for up to three years or a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars.
KRA is actively engaged in uncovering tax evasion schemes to boost tax revenue compliance and adherence to tax laws and procedures, thus ensuring fair trade is maintained within the market.