Nairobi Businesses Shut Down as Kenyan Police Disperse Import Duty Protesters with Tear Gas

Traders gathered in downtown Nairobi to protest over a new Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) customs valuation benchmark. Police in Kenya fired tear gas at small-scale traders who were protesting against a hike in import duties, as hundreds of businesses closed in central Nairobi.

The demonstrations on Friday brought parts of the capital city to a standstill, with tear gas hurled at protesters frustrated with the rising cost of living and business expenses. Kenya’s revenue authority stated that the higher import duty, which took effect last week, is designed to tackle the under-declaration and undervaluation of imported goods, noting that it disadvantages compliant businesses and local manufacturers.

The duty change raises the minimum customs benchmark for a consolidated 40-foot (12-metre) container to 3.2 million Kenyan shillings ($24,700) from 2.5 million ($19,320) shillings. The traders argued that the extra charges will drive up the cost of bringing goods into the country and hurt small businesses that rely on consolidated shipments to reduce import costs.

“We are standing for our citizenship and our right to do business and our right to build our future,” Muturi Kariuki, who joined the demonstrations, told the Reuters news agency. Kariuki was among the traders who closed their businesses in order to protest, while others did so for safety reasons, according to traders.

Reporting for Al Jazeera from Nairobi, where traders were marching to parliament to get their message across, Malcolm Webb said the protests “come at a time where many Kenyans are frustrated with the rising cost of living, a feeling that they are being asked to give more, getting less in return”.

“There is deep mistrust in the government and a widespread perception that corruption is worse than ever,” he added. Meanwhile, Kenya’s revenue authority reiterated that the 3.2 million shilling figure was a minimum reference point, not a fixed value for every container, and that importers whose goods exceed that value must declare their actual worth and pay the applicable duties.