The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has officially begun a week-long online auction of goods said to have overstayed at the port of Mombasa due to non-payment of levies and taxes.
KRA, in a statement, said that the week-long sale that began on Monday will run until Sunday August 20, 2023. The exercise will also involve the sale of cars stuck at the port.
At least 56 cars have been put up for sale as well as goods such as bibles, coloured TVs, 1,400 bags of gypsum powder, assorted furniture, clothing and a treadmill. Others are a used excavator, heavy duty tyres, bicycles, toys and home appliances as well as metallic black box was listed for Sh3,000.
Interested participants have been asked to do a bidding process online, with the goods available for site viewing from Monday, August 14, and Friday, August 18 at between 8am and 5pm.
According to the KRA statement, the cheapest car on auction is a used Hyundai, listed for about Sh232,000 while the most expensive car is a Toyota Hilux Vigo, going for Sh1.5 million.
Other cars set to auction also include Volkswagen, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Lexus, Nissan Note, Mazda, Toyota Vitz, Mercedes Benz C and BMW X5.
“Interested bidders can access the items through the portal, customsauction.kra.go.ke/products,” KRA said.
Equally, those interested in the purchase are expected to produce their KRA iTax PIN and iTax Password before they are allowed to place bids.
KRA argues that throughout the process, a successful bidder will receive an invoice after the auction ends. The winner must within 48 hours, then send 100% of the bid amount.
A failure to meet this deadline, KRA says, will result in the item being offered to the second-highest bidder.
Winners have also been granted three days from the day they make payments, to retrieve the item or they become liable for warehouse expenses from the sale date onward.
KRA adds that the bidding price is non-negotiable, and no taxes will be applied. However, upon winning, registration with National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) will be undertaken at a bidder’s cost.
The auction follows a similar exercise carried out by KRA in December 2022 involving 548 vehicles alongside other items considered surplus and unserviceable.