IMPORTS shipped into the country from next month will be required to be inspected for quality in the country of origin as government moves to mitigate loss of tax revenues and proliferation of counterfeits. The Kenya Revenue Authority and the Kenya Bureau of Standards said on Friday the measure, which expands the goods under pre-shipment requirements, will be enforced from December 1.
The move is guided by the Pre-Export Verification of Conformity [PvoC] to Standards for Imports rules of 2005, the two said. It is aimed at mitigating mis-declaration and under-valuation of cargo at the port of Mombasa. “This updated requirement has been found necessary in order to protect the safety and health of Kenyans in addition to securing tax revenues,” the two agencies said in a joint-notice on Friday.
“Presentation of Certificate of Conformity shall be a mandatory requirement to facilitate clearance of imports by both Kenya Revenue Authority and Kenya Bureau Standards.” Cargo shipped before end of this month will accorded appropriate treatment to achieve smooth transition, the statement by KRA commissioner general John Njiraini and Kebs managing director Charles Ongwae said.
Used motor vehicles [other than duty free], used tyres, refrigerators, refrigeration equipment, air conditioners, used clothing and footwear are some of the imports whose inspection is currently done at the point of origin. Others are pharmaceutical, medical, dental and veterinary consumables as well as fertilisers. The move by the KRA and Kebs follows a directive by Industrialisation and Enterprise Development CS Adan Mohamed, on October 14, that all imports be certified at the source country.
Mohamed said the pre-shipment inspection would also help curb proliferation of counterfeit goods entering Kenya through the port of Mombasa. The vice, he said, was undermining growth and development of genuine businesses in the country. Besides KRA and Kebs, other agencies involved in inspection include Kenya Plant health inspectorate Service and the Anti-Counterfeit Agency.
“This is a case of things falling through the cracks and we don’t who’s dropped the board because there are agencies at the port of Mombasa and everybody says ‘it’s not me’,” the CS said. “It is an illegal trade operating at night and it’s quite tough,” he told reporters.
SGS Société Générale de Surveillance [SGS] of Switzerland, Intertek International of the UK, Bureau Veritas of France and China Certification & Inspection are presently contracted by Kebs as pre-shipment inspection service providers. “These are people who are contractually bound by the Kebs to do that work on their behalf and we hold them accountable,” Mohamed had said. Shipment of goods under the PvoC without inspection at the point of origin attracts an fee of 15 per cent of their Cost Insurance and Freight Value.
Source: The Star

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