NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 10 – The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has seized suspected illicit ethanol valued at Sh16.26 million following an intelligence-led operation near the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) corridor in Nairobi.
The seizure was carried out by officers from the Micro and Small Taxpayers Enterprises Directorate after receiving a tip-off about lorries suspected to be transporting ethanol within a yard near the SGR area. Although the vehicles had left by the time officers arrived, the ethanol had already been offloaded and stored at the premises.
KRA said the operation led to the recovery of 20 drums of suspected illicit ethanol, each with a capacity of 250 litres, amounting to a total of 5,000 litres. A Toyota Fielder, registration number KDU 804R, believed to have been used in the operation, was also seized at the scene.
According to the tax authority, the vehicle was fitted with devices suspected to be tracking system jammers, indicating possible attempts to evade surveillance and law enforcement.
Preliminary assessments indicate that if the ethanol had been processed and released into the market, it would have yielded about 48,200 bottles with an estimated market value of Sh14.46 million. The seized motor vehicle is valued at Sh1.8 million, bringing the total value of the seized goods to Sh16.26 million.
KRA estimates that the government would have lost about Sh7.42 million in tax revenue had the product reached the market, comprising Sh2.6 million in value-added tax and Sh4.82 million in excise duty.
The seized ethanol and the motor vehicle have been detained at a KRA warehouse as investigations continue.
