The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) will stop clearing imports that lack a digital marine cargo insurance certificate from 1 November 2026, putting customs enforcement behind a rule that has existed on paper for nearly a decade.
In a notice issued with the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA), the taxman says all incoming consignments must be covered by a policy from an IRA-licensed insurer.
Importers and clearing agents must now secure insurance before lodging a customs declaration, rather than leaving it to later in the process.
The certificate has to be processed through the Digital MCI System and reach KRA’s iCMS platform, and consignments that miss this step will be blocked from clearance.
Kenya has had a local-cover policy since 1 January 2017, with the legal backing in section 16A of the Marine Insurance Act coming through the Finance Act, 2017.
Compliance stayed low because KRA continued to clear goods insured abroad. IRA and KRA announced strict enforcement from 14 February 2025, but the push lost momentum amid technical problems with the digital platform, which Treasury had asked IRA to build with KRA and Safaricom.
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IRA issued a fresh directive on 22 May 2026, setting 1 July as the start of digital enforcement, with certificates requested through insurer portals or other platforms linked to IRA’s system and the eCitizen payment channel.
The latest KRA notice, which follows previous notices, fixes 1 November as the enforcement date.
The notice speaks of all incoming consignments, but the statute is narrower in wording, with section 16A referring to persons with an insurable interest in imported goods and allowing for a possible exemption by the Commissioner.
The stated aim is to keep marine premiums inside the country and strengthen local insurers, while giving customs a verified record of imports.
READ: Importers in Kenya Must Now Get Local Digital Marine Insurance Before Clearance
The notice does not set out wider consequences, so what follows is analysis.
A platform hitch could delay cargo already at the port; importers may want to review supply contracts where suppliers arrange cover abroad, and clearing agents, who lodge declarations, are likely to carry much of the practical load.
