KRA Seizes Ksh281 Million Contraband Cigarettes Smuggled Through Singapore at Mombasa Port

The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has stopped a major smuggling operation at the Port of Mombasa involving contraband cigarettes valued at more than Ksh281 million, preventing the illegal goods from entering the local market.

According to the tax authority, the intercepted shipment contained over 9.3 million cigarette sticks hidden inside a 40-foot container. The cargo was flagged after KRA received credible intelligence, prompting officers to launch a coordinated inspection involving multiple government agencies.

Following the tip-off, KRA assembled a joint verification team that carried out a full physical examination of the container due to the sensitive nature of the consignment. The operation brought together officers from KRA, the Port Police, Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), Anti-Counterfeit Authority (ACA), Port Health Services, and the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA).

The inspection revealed that the container held 937 cartons containing a total of 9,370,000 cigarette sticks. Although the cigarettes were labelled as “Made in Sudan,” investigations showed the shipment originated from Cambodia and had been routed through Singapore before arriving in Kenya.

KRA further disclosed that the consignment was allegedly in transit to South Sudan. However, the authority noted that the import attempt violated tax and regulatory requirements, with unpaid taxes on the goods amounting to Ksh83.39 million. This figure includes Ksh38.4 million in excise duty and Ksh44.9 million in value-added tax (VAT).

The tax agency warned that such illegal imports pose serious risks to public health and unfairly disadvantage compliant traders who follow the law.

The cigarette seizure comes just days after KRA intercepted another illicit consignment, this time involving ethanol worth Ksh16.26 million along the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) corridor in Nairobi. Acting on intelligence, enforcement officers tracked suspected lorries transporting unauthorised ethanol, only to find the vehicles had already left the scene.

Despite this, officers recovered 5,000 litres of illicit ethanol that had been offloaded and stored in a nearby yard. The haul included 20 drums, each with a capacity of 250 litres.

KRA said the recent operations demonstrate its continued commitment to combating smuggling, protecting public health, and safeguarding government revenue.