This archive report was first published on 11 September 2019.
On September 11, 2019, customs officials at the port of Mombasa made a significant bust, uncovering a syndicate involved in the importation of overage motor vehicle parts. The syndicate had been misdeclaring the parts in import documents to circumvent the eight-year rule on importing vehicles.
Recently, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) intercepted and seized two 40-foot containers loaded with parts of heavy commercial vehicles from Hong Kong. The containers were declared as a single Mitsubishi Canter truck, but upon verification, investigators found a large quantity of vehicle parts, including engines, trailer heads, and chassis.
The seized consignment had a dutiable value of Sh7.1 million. Investigators believe that the parts could have been purchased as scrap metals. Two suspects, Abubakar Said Abubakar and Ahmed Saleh Ahmed, directors of Kokotoni Investments Limited, were arrested and arraigned in court last week.
Before Mombasa chief magistrate Edna Nyaloti, the suspects pleaded not guilty to charges of importing prohibited goods contrary to section 200 (a) of the East African Community Customs management Act 2004. They were released on a bond of Sh1 million and a surety of the same amount, with an alternative cash bail of Sh300,000.
