KACITA Oppose The New Tax Policy
The traders under their umbrella organisation KACITA have strongly opposed the new policy, saying it's to force them out of business. At a press conference held this afternoon, the traders cited their cargo, which is still stranded at the customs in Mombasa.
On the 24th of April 2025, the URA released a statement where it intended to ban group age cargo under container consignments, citing various irregularities in the system. The statement raised serious concerns that the traders were cheated by middlemen through inflated tax charges.
Presenting a statement about this new tax policy, House Bill cites these claims to have carried out consultation from various stakeholders which including container coordinators, shipping companies, and general members have discovered several irregularities in the system.
The association chairperson, Dr.Musoke Thadeaus, mentioned the increase in value of the various items, which has tripled, putting many of their colleagues out of business.
The traders have also raised other concerns, which include the delayed clearance process that may take over one month.
The traders have also expressed disappointment with the conduct of URA, where it has opted to deal with a group masquerading as traders, yet they don’t have a clear record. The association spokesperson, Isa Sekito, wonders why the URA continued to associate with such a group, which is questionable in discussing issues affecting the traders.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the traders dealing in garments, Masanda Nsubuga Robert, has threatened the government with losing its revenue after most of the traders will go out of business under the pretext of collecting more taxes.
