Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The Deputy Commissioner General of South Sudan Revenue Authority (SSRA) is urging importers to properly calculate all expenses, including the cost of transporting goods from Kenya to South Sudan to avoid unnecessary financial losses.
Taban Abel was reacting to media reports stating that goods destined for South Sudan worth millions of Kenya shillings would be auctioned, including United Nations’ shipments.
According to the Kenyan media, there would be the auctioning of goods, currently held at the Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Nairobi, include critical construction materials, electrical components, food items, and other consumer goods essential for businesses in South Sudan.
The notice issued on March 17, under Section 42 of the East African Community Customs Management Act 2004, the goods would be deemed abandoned and sold through a public auction set for May 5–9, 2025
Deputy Commissioner of South Sudan Revenue Authority, Mr. Taban clarified that the goods belong to business entities, not the government.
According to him, the scheduled auctioning exercise are targeting importers who were unable to clear their goods within the individually owned land.
“It is not something that is scary. It happens because of the issue of what is called internal cargo depots. These are business entities. These are not government. These are pieces of land built by individuals,” Taban said.
“When you bring your cargo, you put it there and you are paying daily for it. So, if you exceed the number of days that you are supposed to take it to the country of destination, then the amount will keep mounting and mounting more than you can afford.”
“For example, the storage per day in Mombasa in internal cargo depots, is $250 USD. Like if you have brought a container worth 3,000 USD, you have not cleared it early, you have not taken it to the final destination. Now they are charging 250 USD per day. So, it comes to an extent that the amount needed by the ICD is more than the worth of the container.”
The SSRA Deputy Commissioner is urging imposters to appropriately budget for their goods and services destined to South Sudan to prevent losses at the port.
“We have importers who bring in goods without the cost of transport to Juba or to the final destination in South Sudan. So, they bring things, others they order online, bring it to Kenya, it reaches Kenya and you don’t bring it to South Sudan, the final destination.”
“It keeps packing there and you are paying the cost per day. So, our people have to be aware that you have to calculate the cost of bringing your items all the way up to the final destination instead of wasting your money.”
Mr. Taban added that with the introduction of E-taxation, it has become increasingly difficult for some importers to smuggle goods into South Sudan, as they now risk having their goods auctioned in Kenya.
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