Shapo Limited under siege: Gov't shuts down Chinese company over illegal cigarette imports

A godown operated by a Chinese company along Mombasa Road has been shut down by the Ministry of Health following allegations of importing 1,716 cartons containing 11 different cigarette brands illegally.

Two Chinese nationals have been arrested, and the operations of Shapo Trading Ltd have been canceled after the ministry’s Tobacco Control Department flagged a network linked to harmful cigarette imports.

In a joint multi-agency operation involving Ministry of Health officials and detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), authorities impounded the consignment belonging to Shapo Ltd.

A document accessed by Citizen TV and forwarded to the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) revealed that four cigarette brands were missing from the Ministry of Health's database.

Subsequent evaluation confirmed that all 11 brands violated the Tobacco Control Act 2007 and its accompanying regulations of 2014.

A letter from Tobacco Control Board Secretary Anthony Wainaina to Shapo Limited Director Weir Wang dated April 3, 2025 stated:

“The purpose of this letter is to inform you that all clearance letters issued to your company earlier authorizing the importation of tobacco products are hereby withdrawn/cancelled and recalled with immediate effect.”

Citizen TV revisited the godown two weeks after Shapo's clearance to distribute tobacco products was officially canceled.

At the site, a police officer attached to the Ministry of Health is stationed to guard the godown.

Citizen TV also visited supermarkets and smaller shops to verify whether the flagged cigarette brands remained available for sale. Two of the 11 prohibited brands were purchased as part of the verification.

To understand the Ministry of Health's position on the matter, Citizen TV sought an official statement from Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, who said:

“That matter is on my desk. The PS has given me all the information. I am compiling it, once I put my signature and I’m happy with it…we will not allow Kenyans to get substandard health products.”

Despite efforts by the Ministry of Health to curb harmful tobacco product distribution in Kenya, questions remain about how the KRA Customs allowed such health-threatening imports to penetrate the Kenyan market.

Intelligence reports indicate that certain government officials might be complicit in facilitating the smuggling and tax evasion.