KRA Collects Record KSh 988.78B in Customs Revenue

KRA collected a record KSh 988.78 billion in customs revenue during the 2025/26 financial year, marking the highest-ever customs collection in Kenya’s history.

If you import goods, run an e-commerce or reselling side hustle, or simply want to understand what’s driving the cost of goods at the border right now, here’s exactly what this record means and how it’s likely to affect you.

KRA’s Record Customs Revenue: The Numbers

KRA’s Customs and Border Control Department collected KSh 988.78 billion in the financial year ending 30th June 2026, surpassing its target of KSh 980.79 billion — a performance rate of 100.8%.

This wasn’t a narrow win: the collection represents a 12.4% increase over the KSh 879.33 billion collected the previous financial year, and it extends KRA’s customs revenue growth streak to a fifth consecutive year.

As a result, Customs has now collected more than KSh 4.1 trillion in cumulative revenue over that five-year run.

The record was driven by two main sources:

• Oil revenue: KSh 370.38 billion (102.6% of target)
• Non-oil customs revenue: KSh 618.40 billion (99.8% of target)

By import type, non-oil imports contributed 62.5% of customs revenue, with oil imports making up the remaining 37.5%.

KRA’s Record Customs Revenue Included a Historic Single Month

Within this record year, June 2026 stood out on its own: Customs collected KSh 89.079 billion that month alone — the highest monthly customs revenue ever recorded in Kenya’s history, achieving a 108.0% performance rate.

Because Customs exceeded its monthly revenue target in eight of the twelve months of FY2025/26 (July, September, October, December, February, March, May, and June), this clearly wasn’t a single lucky month, but rather a sustained trend across most of the year.

What Drove KRA’s Record Customs Revenue

KRA Commissioner for Customs and Border Control, Dr. Lilian Nyawanda, attributed the record performance to several factors working together:

• Increased cargo volumes moving through Kenya’s borders and ports
• Improved tax compliance among importers and traders
• Technology adoption, as part of KRA’s ongoing customs modernisation programme
• Stronger risk management systems, helping target enforcement more effectively
• Closer collaboration with traders and stakeholders, rather than a purely enforcement-driven approach

Nyawanda described the achievement as demonstrating “the effectiveness of our customs modernisation programme and our continued commitment to balancing trade facilitation with revenue mobilisation.”

What KRA’s Record Customs Revenue Means for Import Costs

If you import goods into Kenya — whether for resale, e-commerce, or your own business — this record has a few direct implications worth understanding:

• Stronger compliance enforcement is here to stay. Since KRA’s record wasn’t achieved through one-off measures, but instead reflects a structurally improved, technology-driven system, importers should expect continued, not relaxed, scrutiny at the border going forward.
• Documentation accuracy now matters more than ever. Because risk management systems are improving, discrepancies between declared values, invoices, and actual shipments are more likely to be flagged. Therefore, accurate, complete paperwork reduces the risk of delays or additional charges.
• Digital readiness is becoming a real advantage. As KRA’s customs environment becomes increasingly technology-driven, importers who invest in digital record-keeping and compliance systems will likely clear goods faster than those relying on manual, paper-based processes.
• The revenue base itself isn’t necessarily bad news for future duty rates. For example, a well-performing customs department that consistently hits its targets faces less immediate pressure to raise duty rates or introduce new import levies, compared to one that’s chronically under target — though this isn’t a guarantee, since revenue targets and fiscal policy are set independently each year.

For Side Hustlers and Small Importers Specifically

If you’re running a smaller-scale import, reselling, or e-commerce side hustle — sourcing goods from China, Dubai, or elsewhere for resale in Kenya — a few practical takeaways from this record customs performance:

1. Expect your shipments to face genuine scrutiny, even at smaller volumes. Improved risk management doesn’t just target large commercial importers.
2. Keep clean, complete records of invoices, purpose-of-import declarations, and payment trails — these are increasingly what separates a smooth customs clearance from a delayed one.
3. Budget for the Road Maintenance Levy, VAT on imports, import duty, Railway Development Levy, and excise duty as standard costs — these are the specific revenue lines KRA highlighted as drivers of the record June 2026 collection, and they apply broadly across import categories.
4. Consider working with a licensed customs agent if you’re new to importing — given the increasingly technology-driven and compliance-focused environment, professional guidance can meaningfully reduce the risk of costly errors or delays.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much customs revenue did KRA collect in FY2025/26? KRA collected KSh 988.78 billion, surpassing its target of KSh 980.79 billion and marking the highest-ever annual customs collection in Kenya’s history.

Why did KRA’s customs revenue hit a record in 2025/26? KRA attributed the record to increased cargo volumes, improved tax compliance, technology adoption through its customs modernisation programme, stronger risk management, and closer collaboration with traders.

Does KRA’s record customs revenue mean import costs will rise? Not directly — the record reflects stronger compliance and enforcement rather than a rate increase. However, importers should still expect continued scrutiny, and should therefore prioritise accurate documentation to avoid delays or additional charges.

What percentage of Kenya’s customs revenue comes from oil vs non-oil imports? Non-oil imports contributed 62.5% of customs revenue in FY2025/26, with oil imports making up the remaining 37.5%.

What was Kenya’s highest single month of customs revenue ever recorded? June 2026, when Customs collected KSh 89.079 billion, achieving a 108.0% performance rate against its monthly target.

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This article is for educational and informational purposes only. Customs duties, levies, and compliance requirements can change — confirm current rates and requirements directly with the Kenya Revenue Authority before importing goods.