Exposed: Rogue KRA Officers At Mombasa Port Harassing Importers

Clearing agents at the port of Mombasa have petitioned Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) to crack the whip on senior officials. Joseph Tonui, the South region director of investigations and enforcement team led by Abdiakim Omar have been marked by the traders as rogue and a thorn in their flesh.

The Kenya Freight Forwarders and Warehouse Association (KIFWA) claim the Investigation and Enforcement office has been causing unnecessary delays that are costly to their work. Tonui, the director is said to be eyeing the KRA Commissioner General post banking on his affiliation with the President being that they’re both from the same community.

According to traders, Abdiakim Omar has been detaining containers to ostensibly conduct a personal verification which at times takes upto to two weeks. Surprisingly, he spares traders of Somali origin.

KIFWA argues that the delays mean an extra Sh200,000 in storage charges, a cost that is passed to importers.

“We have been incurring extra costs due to the detaining of our containers which have already been cleared by customs. One of the officers demands a bribe of Sh50,000 per container and failure to part with the cash, the container is detained for 15 days,” KIFWA committee member Emerton Mwakina said.

Mwakina who is a General Manager of Imani Logistics says over 40 of KIFWA members have complained to KRA but no action has been taken.

“We are appealing to KRA to consider overhauling the Investigation and Enforcement team. We have no problem with other offices. And as members we comply with tax obligations as required by law,” he said.

KRA recently began a new policy of opening containers to compute taxes per item instead of per kilogram.

This already importers said has led to increment of cost of cargo with KIFWA saying any delay in releasing containers means another extra charge for traders.

Omar has been chest thumping to whoever cares to listen that he is untouchable and has made millions of shillings from the dirty deals which he has used of acquire residential properties in Utawala and Donholm areas of Embakasi.

He was initially stationed in Eldoret but was recalled to KRA’s Upperhill office where the department of Investigations and Enforcement is domiciled following similar complaints.

Former commissioner general Mburu Githii,  moved him to Mombasa where he has been harassing importers and clearing agents.