The Cabinet has approved a higher value of personal effects that travellers can bring into Kenya without being taxed, offering relief to those inconvenienced by seizures by tax agents at various ports of entry.
The move is expected to benefit many citizens who come back with goods of small value from abroad.
“Kenyan citizens will benefit from an increased duty-free threshold of goods brought into the country, which has now been increased from Sh50,000 to Sh250,000,” a statement following the Tuesday special Cabinet meeting noted.
Kenya Revenue Authority in 2016 set the maximum duty collected on personal effects at Sh50,000 in a bid to speed up clearance of passengers at international airports and listed the items to be subjected to customs taxes at the arrival and departure terminals.
Under guidelines, all the taxable items attract levies at rates determined by the value of money paid at a foreign country rather than factors such as quality, size, or weight, the guidelines state.
The guidelines came in the wake of complaints lodged by passengers arriving at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport from Dubai and China, who said they were always subjected to extortionist rates, unlike their counterparts from America and Europe.
The latest Cabinet move is part of a plan to enhance passenger experience, which also involves exempting Africans from Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) requirements.
Presently, passengers departing from Kenya are required to fill in a Temporary Importation Form-P45- to declare items being shipped overseas for repair and the accompanying tools and show the receipt during return as a declaration.
Also, items bought and carried for business promotional and commercial purposes need to be declared during departure for purposes of taxes on return. Electronics like phones, video recorders, and projectors bought while on a trip to Kenya and currency exceeding Sh 1.29 million ($10,000) must also be declared at customs before departure.
Passengers arriving in Kenya are also required to fill passenger declaration form stating the amount paid for each item including the taxes. Items intended for sale or for use in a business including those being brought back to Kenya after they are used commercially must be declared too.
The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) stationed its officers at the airport to ensure that goods coming into the country are taxed when their value exceeds the limit, a move that received criticism from frustrated Kenyans.
ETA is a government system that authorizes visitors to travel to Kenya and visitors are required to submit applications three days prior to travelling to Kenya.
“At the meeting, Cabinet also endorsed a comprehensive plan to enhance passenger experience at JKIA by streamlining operations and bolstering security. Key changes include exempting all African citizens from ETA requirements and easing intra-African travel,” the cabinet statement noted.
The cabinet also approved that to improve efficiency and reduce delays, security screening at JKIA will be enhanced through risk-based profiling, ensuring only flagged bags undergo manual inspection in a dedicated screening room.
It added that the government plans to double the number of immigration booths and staff and to introduce electronic gates (e-gates) to eliminate long queues and speed up clearance.
“Accountability measures will also be strengthened with new monitoring technology deployed to oversee airport staff, and mandatory uniforms with visible name tags required for all agency employees and retail concessionaires,” it stated.
