Customs taxes hit historic Ksh.82.55 billion: KRA

In a statement by Customs and Border Control Commissioner Dr. Lilian Nyawanda, the performance was attributed to some of the reforms within the department such as the establishment of the Centralised Release Operations. 

Under this new process, release officers are stationed at a centralized location and allocated customs declarations randomly for release. 

According to Nyawanda, this approach led to a more objective release process and improved revenue mobilization efforts.

"Customs kicked off the second half of the 2024/2025 financial year on an upward trajectory, after surpassing its January target of Ksh.74.439 billion by collecting a surplus of Ksh.8.116 billion, reflecting a performance rate of 110.9 per cent," the statement read in part.  

"This performance represents a 27.0 per cent growth compared to the 4.8 per cent growth recorded in the first half of the financial year 2024/2025 (July- December 2024) period."

Another key factor that contributed to the high performance was the growth in non-petroleum taxes of 11.6 per cent, compared to January 2024. Petroleum taxes also recorded an incline of 55.9 per cent against the same period last year. 

The growth in petroleum taxes was attributed to an overall increase in oil volumes.