If you are an importer, exporter, or clearing agent, you need to move fast. The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has announced a significant scheduled downtime for its customs operations starting this Saturday.
The authority will be taking the Integrated Customs Management System (ICMS) offline for a total of 36 hours to conduct “major maintenance.”
The system will be unavailable during the following window:
- Starts: Saturday, February 7, 2026, at 6:00 PM
- Ends: Monday, February 9, 2026, at 6:00 AM
This outage impacts the entire logistics chain, including importers & exporters, clearing agents, shipping lines, and partner government agencies.
KRA is explicitly advising stakeholders not wait until Saturday night. If you have goods currently in the clearing process, you are advised to submit urgent declarations immediately, complete all payments before Saturday evening, and prioritize clearance of perishable goods and time-sensitive consignments.
If your cargo isn’t cleared by Saturday at 6:00 PM, it is likely staying put until Monday morning.
According to KRA, this isn’t a glitch, but it’s a planned upgrade. The maintenance is aimed at enhancing system performance, specifically looking to improve “transaction processing” and “system response times.” The goal is a faster, more reliable experience once the system comes back online on Monday.
