Dina Sherif, a renowned Egyptian entrepreneur and investor based in the United States (US), claimed she was being subjected to a case of extortion at the airport
The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) on Friday, November 8 responded to complaints fielded online by a foreigner who decried being subjected to inconsistent customs charges on the night she landed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
Dina Sherif, a renowned Egyptian entrepreneur and investor based in the United States (US), claimed she was being subjected to a case of extortion at the airport, complaining that KRA officials were determining customs paid by travellers in secrecy.
In particular, she revealed that she was given different charges by the officials for items that she was bringing into the country. The officials had initially set the amount to $1,200 (approximately Ksh155,000) for the luggage, which went down to different amounts in an instant, without explanation.
“For 15 books, 20 t-shirts and some MIT caps, I was first asked to pay 1200 USD. Then it went down to 950. Then to 800. All the while nobody would explain to me how they were reaching these calculations,” she explained on LinkedIn.
KRA officials at work. /KENYA REVENUE AUTHORITY
“Also, it is worth noting that these items did not even have price tags on them, so they were assigning whatever value they wanted to these items.”
Further, Sherif, who is also the Executive Director at Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship in Massachusetts, US, claimed the officials had mishandled her and her colleague at the airport, calling them names as well as being hostile to them before confiscating her colleague’s passport.
The situation would worsen as upon agreeing to pay in exchange for getting back the passport, the system went down. Seven attempts later to pay, the officials released the passports of Sherif and her colleague but confiscated the goods they produced at the customs desk.
“Over and above, they were disrespectful. They treated me and my colleague with disrespect. They called us idiots. They yelled at us. They confiscated my colleague’s passport and would not give it back until we agreed to pay. After agreeing to pay, it took them an hour to generate a receipt,” she added.
“Then when I came to pay by credit card, their system was down. After 7 attempts to pay, they finally agreed to give us the passport, but kept our stuff! This whole experience ate up 5 hours of my life after a 22-hour journey! Shame on you Kenya. I expected better.”
KRA in response acknowledged the delay in service delivery at JKIA and the concerns surrounding the situation.
“We sincerely apologize to all who were affected by the inconvenience and appreciate the feedback that helps us enhance our processes. We are committed to learning from these experiences to better serve all passengers coming into our great beloved country of Kenya,” KRA responded to Sherif’s post.
“Thank you for your patience and continued trust as we work to improve our service and fulfil our commitment to you. Senior teams are looking into this matter to get an amicable solution.”
Sherif’s ordeal depicted the nightmares of passengers entering the country through the JKIA, with several stories of Kenyans and international travellers subjected to punitive measures by KRA officers stationed at the airport which is worse than regulations at other world airports.
Ordeals of the same gained national attention last year, forcing the government to action over fears that the measures could discourage more tourists and Kenyans in diaspora from coming back to Kenya on the back of the officers at times resorting to measures that infringe on their privacy while conducting checks on their luggage.
With the measures looking like they will not go away soon, Kenyans fear this could worsen with mandatory phone IMEI registration, however, Tourism Cabinet Secretary (CS) Rebecca Miano announced that tourists entering Kenya will not need to do this from January 1, 2025.
KRA initially announced that the new directive, aimed at combating the use of unregistered devices that bypass tax and safety regulations, would take effect on January 1, 2025, and would target all passengers entering the country.
“KRA has announced that tourists will NOT be required to declare their gadgets’ IMEI numbers upon arrival. Kenya’s strategic location as the gateway to East Africa positions it as a regional hub for tourism and business and must therefore remain easily accessible,” Miano said on Friday, November 8.
Scores of travellers outside JKIA terminals on September 10, 2024. /X