Ruto Issues Fresh Directive on KRA Import Benchmark After Protests

President William Ruto has issued a fresh directive on the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) import valuation benchmark following protests by Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) traders.

Ruto spoke on Wednesday, September 2, while hosting MSME traders at State House, Nairobi, where he addressed concerns over the new import valuation system.

He directed KRA to identify high-value goods that should be excluded from consolidation before the new benchmark is applied.

The president said containers containing high-value items should be separated so that traders dealing with ordinary goods can continue using the previous pricing arrangement.

“But I also want us to agree. David has said, I think David is a KRA official, that first, if there are high-value goods in this container, they should be removed.”

Ruto then asked the traders whether they agreed with the proposal.

“It should be removed, isn’t it? Yes? Let the other goods remain, not phones, not what… Let us remove those items and then agree that for the container which does not have high-value items, we continue with the old price.”

Ruto Asked KRA to Identify High-Value Goods

The President said KRA must clearly define the goods considered high-value to avoid uncertainty among importers and consolidators.

He asked KRA officials to provide a clear list of items that would not qualify for consolidation.

“These high-value items must also be known. You, as consolidators, want to know what they are so that they are not benchmarked.”

Ruto directed KRA to identify the specific goods and communicate the information to consolidators.

“People from KRA, give us the high-value items which do not qualify for consolidation: one, two, three, four, five. Let it be known by these consolidators.”

Also Read:KRA Clarifies Customs Changes, Denies Introducing New Taxes After Traders’ Protests

President Asks How KRA Will Communicate

Ruto also questioned the KRA official on how the list would be communicated to affected traders.

He asked whether KRA would gazette the items or directly communicate the information to consolidators.

The KRA official indicated that the authority would communicate directly with them.

Ruto stressed that the process should not interfere with the traders’ businesses.“So that it does not affect their business.”

Also Read:Ruto’s Govt Slapped With 4 Demands After Standard Group Editor Abduction

President Orders List of Consolidators

Ruto further directed the authorities to establish a list of all consolidators.

He said consolidators should identify themselves and asked whether traders had any concerns about being listed as consolidators.

“We also want to know who the consolidators are. They have to identify themselves. I hope you have the list.”

The President then asked the traders,“Do people have a problem identifying yourself as consolidators?”

He directed that a list of all consolidators be prepared as part of the process.