IMPORTERS
have up to Tuesday to conform with new pre-shipment inspection require ments
or have their goods locked out, the Kenya Bureau of Standards and the Kenya Revenue Authority announced yesterday This is subject to the new Certificate of Conformity rule which comes into effect from December 1. It
requires all imports destined for Kenya to be inspected at the country of origin
and issued with a CoC before shipment.
The two state agencies yesterday attributed the new
 directive to “key concerns” including cargo mis-declaration and under-valuation. “No cargo shall be allowed entry into Kenya
without the fulfillment of CoC requirements. Presentation of Certificates of Conformity
 shall be a mandatory requirement to facilitate clearance of imports,” Kebs managing
 director Charles Ongwae and KRA commissioner-general John Njiraini said in a
joint public notice. Cargo
 shipped prior to November 30, and not accompanied with a CoC will however be cleared,
as it will be considered to have already been enroute to Kenya, Ongwae clarified on phone.
“No
cargo shipped after November 30, shall be allowed entry unless accompanied with
a Coc. Most of this cargo will however start arriving in the country from
 January next year owing to the transit period,” he said. The
directive comes as the government moves to reduce tax losses at Kenya’s
entry points and dumping of substandard and counterfeit goods. KRA
is counting on the new measures to cover tax loopholes which have denied it VAT on imports, Import Declaration Fees and the Railway Development Levy.
As
at the end of October, VAT on imports was Sh47.2 billion against a four-month
target of Sh54.9 billion, (July-October). The
Railway Development Levy raised Sh6.2 billion against a target of Sh9 billion. “Thi s
updated requirement has been found necessary in order to protect the safety and
health of Kenyans in addition to securing tax revenues,” the notice read. The move is guided by the Pre-Export Verification of Conformity [PvoC] to Standards
or Imports rules of July 2005, the two bodies said.
Used
 motor vehicles (other than duty free), used tyres, refrigerators, refrigeration
equipment, air conditioners, used clothing and footwear are some of the import s
currently undergoing pre-shipment inspection. Under
the 2005 import regulations, goods that are supposed to be inspected in the
 country of origin but arrive in Kenya without CoC, pay a destination inspection
 fee of 15 per cent of the Cost, Insurance and Freight value of the goods.
Source: The Star

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