The problem of the seals emerged after the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) discontinued signing of Electronic Cargo Tracking System (ECTS) certificates for eight companies, which arm cargo with tracking devices on behalf of the authority.

“Apart from having truck drivers’ menace due to measures set to contain spread of Covid-19, we are also experiencing problems in tagging our cargo due to miscommunication between private tracking companies and KRA,” said Abdalla Khamisi, an importer in Mombasa.

In the past two months, eight private seal vendors- Automated Logistics, Borderless Tracking Ltd, I Spy Africa, Navisat Telematics, Oak Gold Ltd, Rivercross Tracking Ltd, SGS Kenya and Track N Trace Ltd — have been seeking audience with KRA in trying to resolve the matter which has led to the abrupt suspension of their services leaving hundreds of importers who depend on such vendors to arm their cargo stranded.

KRA has noted that a number of vendors have been dumping cargo along the Northern Corridor forcing them to adopt the new Regional Electronic Cargo Tracking Seals (RECTS) which will be offered by the government, pushing the private vendors which have been supplying seals since 2004 to all domestic and transit cargo out of business.

The KRA in a public notice has already notified importers, transporters, customs agents and other parties conveying goods under Customs control that all containerised transit cargo and Single Customs Territory (SCT) goods from the port, and excisable goods will be tracked under the RECTS seals and all petroleum and ethanol tankers conveying transit and SCT cargo must be fitted with the RECTS Efuel by June 30, 2020.