The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) Marine Unit has intensified operations along Lake Victoria, significantly enhancing border security and sealing key revenue loopholes. The initiative has been credited with curbing illicit trade and boosting customs collections in the region.
In the 2023/2024 financial year, the unit intercepted illicit and uncustomed goods valued at Ksh 3.19 million, recovering Ksh 1.6 million in revenue. Most of the seized items were linked to small-scale traders attempting to smuggle goods through unauthorized lake routes.
Speaking during a media familiarization session at Kisumu Port, Chief Manager for Customs Western Region, Mr. Dominic Kengara, said the Marine Unit has “greatly contributed to the reduction of illegal cross-border trade while promoting legitimate commerce through proper customs channels.” He added that the intensified surveillance across Kenya’s territorial waters has curtailed the smuggling of uncustomed goods, narcotics, and other prohibited items entering the country through lake borders.
Mr. Kengara noted that the reopening and expansion of the Kisumu Port have revitalized regional trade and strengthened revenue collection. In the 2024/2025 financial year, KRA collected Ksh 107 million at the Kisumu Port—up from Ksh 30 million in the previous year—driven mainly by sugar imports from Tanzania and Uganda. Between May and August 2025 alone, 4,600 metric tonnes of sugar were imported through the port, yielding over Ksh 170 million in taxes and duties.
He further highlighted that “marine clearance has helped decongest the Busia and Malaba One Stop Border Posts,” explaining that one vessel exporting petroleum products is equivalent to 135 trucks transporting similar consignments by road.
The enhanced marine operations underscore KRA’s commitment to strengthening border management, promoting legitimate trade, and safeguarding national revenue through innovative and efficient customs practices. The authority says these reforms are key to improving compliance and securing Kenya’s maritime trade corridors.
