By Joseph Kiggundu
KAMPALA – The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has announced an important notice to Ugandan traders regarding a new amnesty on storage charges for long-stay containers at the Port of Mombasa.
According to the notice, the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) has introduced an 80 percent waiver on port storage charges for transit containers that have stayed at the port for more than 21 days, effective 15th October 2025.
URA has encouraged all Ugandan traders with affected cargo to take advantage of this temporary waiver by formally applying to the Kenya Ports Authority for consideration. The waiver period will remain valid until 6th November 2025, after which the usual storage and demurrage charges will resume.
The tax body further cautioned that any long-stay transit containers not cleared within the amnesty period will be transferred to the Naivasha Inland Container Depot (ICD) at the owner’s expense. Once moved, such containers will attract normal storage charges calculated from the date of arrival at Mombasa.
Reacting to the development, Ms. Olive Kigongo, President of the Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UNCCI), has called upon the Chamber members and the wider private sector fraternity to embrace the opportunity and use the 21-day amnesty to clear their goods.
“This is a timely relief for our business community, especially those affected by high storage and logistical costs. I urge all our members to act swiftly and take full advantage of this waiver to decongest the port and ease the flow of goods into Uganda,” Ms. Kigongo said.
She further emphasized that efficient clearance of goods would contribute to improved trade facilitation and reduced operational costs for Ugandan importers.
“Let us not wait until the deadline. The Chamber continues to engage with both the Uganda Revenue Authority and the Kenya Ports Authority to ensure that our traders benefit fully from this arrangement,” she added.
The UNCCI President reaffirmed the Chamber’s commitment to working closely with regional partners to promote smoother trade flows, lower costs of doing business, and support the competitiveness of Ugandan enterprises in the East African market.