KRA explains how to buy Digital Marine Insurance Cover before November 1 deadline

The Kenya Revenue Authority has rolled out a streamlined framework requiring all cargo imported into the country to be secured under a valid digital policy.

Importers and clearing agents must now ensure that their consignments are fully covered by a Digital Marine Cargo Insurance (MCI) certificate issued by an insurer licensed by the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA).

This systemic shift is anchored in Section 16A of the Marine Insurance Act (Cap 390) and Section 20(4) of the Insurance Act (Cap 487) of the Laws of Kenya, which mandate that all insurable interests in local marine cargo must be placed with locally licensed underwriters.

To enforce this seamlessly, a joint initiative by the National Treasury, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Safaricom PLC, and the IRA has integrated a dedicated digital platform directly into the KRA Integrated Customs Management System (iCMS).

For years, manual processing and fragmented verification methods left room for compliance gaps and unnecessary delays at ports of entry.

Under the newly enforced framework, transparency and speed are prioritized through direct electronic handshakes between insurers, payment gateways, and customs systems.

Effective November 1, 2026, non-compliant cargo consignments will be systematically blocked from customs clearance. Importers, freight forwarders, and clearing agents must adapt to this fully digitized procedure to avoid costly port congestion, demurrage charges, and severe trade disruptions.

Acquiring your Digital Marine Cargo Insurance Certificate (DMIC) involves a structured, end-to-end digital journey designed to link underwriting directly with customs clearance.

Importers or their licensed clearing agents can initiate the process through multiple integrated channels.

These include authorized insurance company web portals, mobile applications, the Kenya International Freight and Warehousing Association (KIFWA) web portal, or the official eCitizen platform.

All connected portals communicate securely with the IRA electronic validation platform.

The process begins by entering or pulling Import Declaration Form (IDF) data. A Digital Marine Certificate must always be issued against an active IDF.

Once the IDF number is submitted through the chosen portal, the system retrieves the relevant cargo details straight from the KRA iCMS database.

The chosen insurance company performs automated underwriting based on the specific cargo parameters outlined in the retrieved IDF. Once the risk is evaluated and accepted within the insurer's system, a universal invoice is triggered through the underwriter's eCitizen API integration.

The system cross-references the premium against approved insurance rates mandated by the IRA.

Following validation, an official electronic invoice detailing the required premium is transmitted directly to the customer or clearing agent.

Payment is a mandatory prerequisite for certificate issuance. Customers initiate payment securely through the eCitizen payment gateway, utilizing platforms like Pesaflow. The payment platform processes transactions in real time and instantly notifies the underwriting insurance company.

Upon successful payment confirmation, the system generates the Digital Marine Cargo Insurance Certificate (DMIC).

Instant electronic notifications containing the certificate and payment details are dispatched simultaneously to the KRA iCMS, the Association of Kenya Insurers (AKI), and the respective insurer.

Finally, the DMIC is automatically mapped to the KRA iCMS system, clearing the consignment for final customs processing without requiring physical paperwork.

To guarantee smooth cargo movement, stakeholders must ensure that policy details match their import documentation precisely.

Because the system blocks any clearance attempt lacking a valid, system-verified DMIC tied to an active IDF, early processing is strongly advised.