Nairobi’s Small Importers Say a New Customs Floor Will Finish Them

Kenya has raised the minimum customs benchmark for a shared 40-foot container from Sh2.5 million to Sh3.2 million, causing concern for small traders who share these containers. The new minimum, effective around 20 to 21 August 2026, increases the cost per container by Sh700,000, or about 28%. The change, agreed upon by the revenue authority, the national chamber of commerce, and the freight forwarders association, is set for two years.

Small traders in the Kamukunji, Gikomba, and Nyamakima markets have threatened to close nationwide on Friday, 28 August, due to the inability to absorb the additional cost. The customs benchmark is a floor value, not a final valuation, used when verifying every line in a shared box would be impractical. While the revenue authority claims the earlier figure had stood for six years, without annual review, smaller traders argue that the new minimum will finish them, as shipping a container from China will now cost them Sh3.2 million, with no profit left.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Rio Times's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.