KRA to block clearance of imports without digital marine cargo insurance from November 1

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Importers who bring goods into Kenya without marine cargo insurance from a locally licensed insurer will have their consignments held at customs from November 1, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has said.

In a public notice dated October 22 and signed by the Commissioner for Customs and Border Control, the taxman said it would work with the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) to enforce mandatory digital marine cargo insurance “effective 1st November, 2026, following previous notices.”

Importers and clearing agents must make sure every incoming consignment is covered by a valid policy “issued exclusively by an IRA – licensed insurer,” the notice says.

How the check will work

The certificate has to pass through IRA’s Digital Marine Cargo Insurance System and reach KRA’s Integrated Customs Management System (iCMS) before an importer lodges a customs declaration.

“Consignments failing to meet these requirements will be blocked from clearance, and stakeholders are urged to ensure full compliance to prevent trade disruptions,” KRA said. It referred importers to IRA’s enforcement guidance for details.

The notice does not mention a fee, a grace period or penalties beyond the block on clearance.

Third attempt at enforcement

The rule itself is not new. A June 2026 briefing by law firm Clyde & Co traces it to the Finance Act, 2017, which inserted Section 16A into the Marine Insurance Act. That section requires anyone with an insurable interest in imported cargo to insure it with a locally registered insurer. The firm also points to Section 20(4) of the Insurance Act, which makes it an offence to take out insurance from an unlicensed insurer.

According to the briefing, KRA and IRA jointly told importers in 2025 to obtain local cover before clearance, with effect from February 14, 2025, but that drive weakened because of technical problems with the system.

On May 22, 2026, IRA issued a fresh notice saying a new digital platform was ready and that importers would have to secure cover digitally from July 1, 2026. Under that process, the firm says, an importer requests a certificate through an insurer’s portal or another portal linked to IRA’s platform and pays the premium through the e-Citizen payment channel. The certificate and proof of payment are then sent digitally to KRA’s iCMS. Clyde & Co says Treasury had directed IRA to work with KRA and Safaricom to build the platform.

KRA’s latest notice, which refers to “previous notices”, now sets November 1 as the date from which the customs system will refuse declarations that lack a valid certificate.

What importers should check now

For businesses that import regularly, the practical step is to confirm that their insurer is licensed by IRA and connected to the digital platform, and that a certificate is issued for each shipment. Clearing agents will need the certificate to be in the system before they file the declaration, so delays in buying cover will now translate directly into delays at the port or border.

The Clyde & Co briefing argues that real-time data sharing between IRA, insurers, e-Citizen and KRA should make the rule harder to dodge and give regulators better data on import volumes. It also warns that any outage, crash or cyber attack on the linked systems could leave cargo stranded even after an importer has paid the premium.

The deadline comes as KRA overhauls other parts of the clearance process. The authority has also moved cargo tracking to private electronic seal vendors from October 26, meaning importers and transporters face two system changes within a week.