KRA issues recall notice for 124 high-end vehicles with outstanding tax issues

A brand new Range Rover vehicle is removed from inside a 20ft container which also had household items like mattresses and sofa seats inside after it was ripped open to reveal its high value cargo at the KRA Bonded Warehouse within the port

The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has issued a recall notice for 124 high-end vehicles to facilitate a review of their tax status.

The vehicles, comprising of Sports Utility Vehicles and related luxury units, are part of an ongoing investigation covering transit vehicles suspected to have been diverted to the local market.

The vehicles, which are currently described as having outstanding tax issues, are suspected, to have initially been declared as transit cargo but later dumped in the local market.

Following the publishing of the recall notice, owners of the listed vehicles have been asked to to present the vehicles together with the original ownership, transfer and importation documents to the Commissioner of Investigation & Enforcement, on Tuesday morning at the Nairobi Railways Club for verification.

Failure to voluntarily report to KRA within the course of next week, will lead to the impounding and issue of warrants of arrest for the respective units.

Speaking when he confirmed the ongoing recall, KRA Commissioner General John Njiraini, assured that the process will be undertaken humanely and advised current registered owners to co-operate with the Authority.

“We are conscious that some of these vehicles may have already been sold to innocent unsuspecting customers and we are asking them to co-operate with our officers in the ongoing investigations,” Njiraini said.

The Authority, suspects that unscrupulous importers have not been paying custom tax on many high end luxury vehicles imported from Britain and illegally selling them to unsuspecting customers at car bazaars.