Nairobi Traders Protest Rising Taxes and New Customs Valuation Rules
Police fired tear gas at traders marching toward the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) offices at Times Tower in Nairobi’s Central Business District on Friday, as demonstrations over rising taxes and changes to customs valuation intensified.
Large numbers of traders gathered along Kenyatta Avenue before marching through the city centre, demanding that the government review new tax measures they say are placing additional pressure on businesses.
The traders had initially assembled outside the National Archives before proceeding toward Times Tower, where they intended to present their grievances over the new customs valuation benchmark.
Carrying placards bearing messages such as “Tumechoka” and “We’ve had enough, it’s time to fight back,” the traders expressed their opposition to higher taxes and the revised customs valuation rules.
Police deployed tear gas as the protesters marched along Parliament Road toward Times Tower. Several businesses in parts of the CBD remained closed as the demonstrations got underway, including shops along Luthuli Avenue.
The protests follow the KRA’s decision to raise the minimum customs valuation benchmark for a 40-foot container of consolidated general cargo from KSh2.5 million to KSh3.2 million.
The KSh700,000 increase, equivalent to 28 percent, has sparked opposition from small-scale traders, who argue that the higher valuation will increase the cost of importing goods and put further strain on their businesses.
The traders are calling for government intervention, warning that the additional import costs could significantly reduce their profit margins and make it increasingly difficult for them to sustain their businesses.
