The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) is set auction unclaimed goods at the two ports as it moves to decongest the busy hubs.
74 lots of assorted commodities at the ICD in Embakasi and its peripheral storage facilities (PSFs) that were leased to accommodate overstayed cargo and 286 lots in Mombasa have already been identified and earmarked for the auction, according to Customs Warehouse Lists compiled on a public notice.
Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) has leased a number of PSFs which include Mitchell Cotts, Nairobi Inland Container Terminal (NICT), Regional Logistics and Makongeni.
By the end of January, the four PSFs were holding 1,742 unclaimed Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs), data shows.
According to the customs warehouse lists, consolidated cargo comprises the majority of lots slated for auction, which are linked to small traders who import using proxies who pose as clearing agents and either swindle them or take long before paying the requisite fees to clear their cargo.
KRA has set auction for this week and interested bidders have been invited to view the goods with the full details being listed in a public notice published on the taxman’s website. Logistics for the auction are meant to ensure that the exercise runs smoothly at different storage facilities leased for storage of goods that have stayed for more than 21 days.