KRA intercepts Sh8.2m iPhones at JKIA: What travelers must know about bringing phones into Kenya

The interception of 40 iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max devices valued at about Sh8.2 million at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) has renewed questions about what travelers are required to declare when bringing goods into Kenya.

In an announcement on Thursday, October 1, 2026, Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) said that Customs officers on recovered the phones from a passenger arriving from Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) after screening his luggage at the airport.

KRA announced that the passenger had entered Kenya four times within nine days and told officers that he was carrying the phones as a courier for a client in Dubai. The devices had not been declared to Customs.

According to the law, bringing goods into the country does not automatically mean Kenyans returning from abroad and other international travellers are exempt from customs requirements simply because they are carried as personal luggage or because someone else asked the traveller to transport them.

KRA says all passengers arriving in Kenya are required to make customs declarations using the prescribed Passenger Declaration Form, also known as Form F88

The authority's guidance says goods that should be declared include items intended for sale or business, goods imported for disposal to other people and goods whose importation is regulated under customs or other applicable laws.

According to KRA, used personal items and effects are exempt from customs duties under the applicable passenger provisions.

For new items, the authority currently states that goods worth up to US$2,000 per traveller may qualify for an import-tax concession where they are for personal or household use and are properly declared.

KRA however warns that the US$2,000 figure should not be interpreted as meaning that only goods above that value need to be declared.

Its guidance states that items brought into Kenya from abroad should be declared and then subjected to the applicable clearance process, exemptions and concessions.

Kenya operates a dual-channel passenger clearance system.

The Green Channel is intended for passengers who have nothing to declare and are carrying goods within the applicable duty-free allowance.

The Red Channel, on the other hand, is for passengers carrying goods that need to be declared, including dutiable or restricted goods and goods exceeding the relevant duty-free allowance.

For example, a traveller returning from Dubai with several newly purchased phones intended for sale should not assume that placing them inside checked luggage makes them personal effects.

Where there is something to declare, the appropriate step is to declare it to Customs rather than proceed through the Green Channel.

KRA says passengers should make their declaration before the baggage scanning process, using Form F88 where applicable

KRA says a passenger who fails to declare or misdeclares goods contravenes Section 203 of the East African Community Customs Management Act (EACCMA), 2004 and may face penal action.

The goods can also be subject to seizure or confiscation.

Separately, Section 210 of EACCMA provides circumstances in which goods may be liable to forfeiture, including uncustomed goods and goods concealed or packaged in a manner appearing intended to deceive a Customs officer.

Kenya Law records the operation of these provisions in cases involving goods that had not been properly subjected to customs procedures.

A traveller should not view declaration as an optional step that can be corrected only if Customs officers discover the goods.

The consequences can extend beyond payment of the taxes that would otherwise have been due, depending on the circumstances of the case.

KRA had previously announced that, effective January 1, 2025, passengers entering Kenya must declare details of mobile devices intended for use during their stay, including their IMEI numbers, on the F88 passenger declaration form.

On the other hand, importers bringing mobile devices into Kenya are required to submit detailed import entries containing accurate quantities, model descriptions and the respective IMEI numbers through the Customs system.

KRA also notes that mobile devices are subject to regulatory requirements administered by the Communications Authority of Kenya.

A person bringing a commercial quantity of phones into Kenya should not treat the consignment in the same way as ordinary passenger baggage.

KRA's import guidance states that importers should use customs procedures and engage a clearing agent to process import documentation electronically.

Customs then assesses the applicable duties based on the customs value and tariff classification

The October 1 incident comes against increased Customs scrutiny of mobile-phone imports.

KRA last month also reported another smartphone-related enforcement case at Eldoret International Airport, involving a discrepancy between declared and physically identified quantities.