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Beyond revenue: KRA’s role in protecting Kenya’s health, safety, security
Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) image analyst Ms Brenda Simiyu goes through a scanned image of a truck at the port of Mombasa from the Regional Command Centre, Forodhani House in Mombasa County on October 30, 2018.
Illicit trade not only possess health and environmental challenges to consumers but also denies the government the much needed revenue for financing its budget.
In some cases, restricted or prohibited goods are smuggled through the borders; such goods may consist of banned drugs or narcotics, weapons or even dangerous chemicals that can be misused for manufacture of chemical/biological weapons.
With increasing global threats in public health, safety and security caused by illicit trade, Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has also enhanced its capacity to detect such goods through investments in modern scanning and laboratory technology.
In this regard, KRA has a fully-equipped ISO 17025 certified Inspection and Testing Centre (I&TC) that handles a wide range of testing for customs and excise, environmental protection, and public safety.
When detected and intercepted, goods suspected to be restricted or prohibited undergo chemical analysis to ascertain their true identity and chemical composition within the shortest turnaround time possible.
The I&TC is a fully accredited testing laboratory mandated to conduct scientific examination in support of revenue and enforcement functions for the Authority.
The key areas of expertise typically revolve around various scientific and technical fields in tariff classifications of trade goods and to ensure compliance with national regulations and international trade standards, especially compliance with multilateral conventions (Montreal, Stockholm, Basel, Rotterdam, Minamata and Chemical Weapons Convention) by providing annual reports to national authorities.
The centre conducts chemical tests on various goods such as industrial chemicals, food products and raw material to establish their composition for the purpose of customs and tax compliance and regulations.
The centre specialises in food, alcohol and drug testing, material and product testing, for example, metals, polymers, oils, textiles and fertilisers.
The centre continually researches new testing methods and innovations to keep up with global scientific advancements and improve testing accuracy and efficiency.
KRA’s I&TC has therefore been instrumental in protection of public health, safety and security by identifying potential risks, hazards or threats associated with such goods, it also supports revenue collection by examining the properties, components and market value of the goods to determine their customs value. This also ensures fair and transparent trade practices.
The writer is the Acting Commissioner for Investigation & Enforcement at Kenya Revenue Authority
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