How 300 containers were stolen from Mombasa port

A section of containers at the Port of Mombasa, March 3, 2025. [Omondi Onyango, Standard]

At least 300 containers with an assortment of cargo were sneaked out of the Port of Mombasa in late 2025 and early this year before a duty of Sh500 million was paid.

Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) officers say the suspects recycled customs entry to sneak the containers of textiles, carpets and electronics out of the port.

Yesterday, Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) detectives said the number of containers that were illegally left at the port in late 2025 and early 2026 before tax was paid could be over 300.

The senior police detectives attached to KRA confirmed that five KRA and three Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) employees have been arrested in connection with the scandal.

KRA prosecutor Martin Kiogora and senior detective attached to KRA, Salim Bibo, confirmed the suspects were arraigned in court yesterday but released on free bail awaiting formal charges today (Wednesday).

“We are still investigating this matter. We have already found out that 238 containers left Mombasa port irregularly without paying tax between last year and early this year,” said Kiogora.

The suspects yet to be arrested include businessmen and owners of freight forwarder companies who conspired with KPA and KRA employees to have the containers with imported textiles and carpets released without paying tax.

Kiogora said some of the suspects who are yet to be arrested are facing economic crimes, which are very serious.

The suspects were released on free bail each by Mombasa Resident Magistrate Lameck Mureithi, who read the charges but cautioned them not to plead to the offences until today.

“I am going to read to you the charges after being brought to the court following your arrest, but you will not plead to the charges until you are formally informed why you were arrested,” said Mureithi.

The magistrate ordered the suspects to appear in court today after their lawyers raised an alarm that their clients were arrested and brought to court without being formally informed.

They said their clients could not take a plea, as it was illegal for them to plead guilty to the offences without being informed of the charges they were facing.

The suspects who were arrested last Saturday raised alarm through their lawyers, led by Gikandi Ngibuini, Titus Mugambi and Kelvin Lisanda, that their client should not take a plea, as they have not been formally informed why they were in court.

The lawyers complained that some of their clients were arrested while on duty on Saturday, which made some of them fall sick.

The suspects are Abdishukri Mohamed Fara, Jamal Abdi Gedi, Tito Mnyika, Ngonda, Erastus Marti Kaptum, Julius Kipngetich Koech, Mwashaka Kombo Hassan, Jane Osoro and James Mwenda Karumani.

They are suspected of having committed the offences between last year and this year after they unlawfully released several imported containers without following the laid-down procedures and payment of duty.

Gikandi told the court to grant the suspects free bond because they are still employees of the government after Kiogora admitted they were still earning half salary after being arrested.

Among the charges they are facing is one that states that in December 2025 at Mombasa Port in Mombasa County, being employees of KRA and deployed as border control officers, they negligently and in disregard of their duties authorised the unlawful exit of imported containers of goods, container number TIIU4055916, without payment of customs duties.

The other charge they are facing says that on November 29, 2025, at the port of Mombasa, jointly with others, not before the court, they conspired to unlawfully release imported container number IIU40555916 under bill lading number HUH50905000 by colluding unlawfully using a recycled customs entry leading to the evasion of payment of tax.

As it went to the press, the prosecutor Martin Mbote said several suspects are expected to appear in court today after summonses were issued against them by the court to face similar charges of alleged tax evasion at Mombasa port.

In recent years, KPA has been hit by cases of theft of containers. In 2018, 124 containers were also released from the port before an import duty of Sh106 was paid.

Detectives said the suspects used usernames and passwords of two retired employees of the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) to clear containers at the Mombasa port.

The port of Mombasa is the trade gateway for most East African countries.

Last year, detectives also unearthed a scandal where at least 161 containers of rice left the facility before duty was paid.