Mombasa governor Hassan Joho has been given 36 hours to allow owners of cargo stored at his container Freight stations evacuate after clearance with customs.
Portside and Autoport Container Freight stations associated with Joho’s family were closed amid reports linking them to the smuggling of multimillion-shilling goods.
“Information available indicates that, besides failing to avail staff who could facilitate release, the CFS exit gates have been barricaded to prevent access,” said KRA Commissioner General John Njiraini in a statement on Saturday.
“It is our wish to facilitate expedited cargo removal in order to avoid business disruption”.
Njiraini said the commission received information to the effect that the CFS operators have neglected to facilitate release of cargo to owners.
“We are confident that the CFS operators will cooperate with customs in facilitating release of the cargo within the time frame given,” he said.
He further said the Commissioner of Customs and Border Control has written to the CFS operators instructing them to provide access and facilitate cargo removal.
On Saturday, KRA linked the closure of two major container depots in Mombasa to tax evasion probe, saying licences for companies that breach customs law will be suspended.
“Recent incidents and investigations have raised serious concerns over the likely involvement of some CFSs in actions that abet tax evasion,” Njiraini said.
Njiraini said such acts include facilitating the importation of contraband goods including sugar, rice and ethanol.
On Friday, Cord leader Raila Odinga lashed out at the government for closing ports associated with the Mombasa Governor saying “it is a return of the old order of starving individuals”.
But president Uhuru Kenyatta in a statement said Raila’s false claims over the closure of two companies is nothing but his characteristic shallow style.
they’re really going in on him, huh?