The Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (Kephis) has suspended the high cargo inspection fees it introduced at the Mombasa port from March 1, 2025, yielding to pressure from the Council of Governors (CoG) and traders.
Kephis had set the inspection fees at Sh2,000 and Sh500 for a 20-foot and 40-foot container respectively, a change that impacted traders’ cost of doing business.
Correspondence between the CoG, Mombasa County government and the Kenya Ships Agents Association (KSAA), however, confirmed that the charges had been suspended to allow for further consultation with stakeholders.
“I wish to formally convey that the Council of Governors has confirmed the suspension of Kephis charges at the Port of Mombasa. This follows a consultative meeting convened on March 14, 2025, at the CoG offices in response to concerns raised by the County Government of Mombasa regarding the imposition of pest inspection charges by Kephis,” CoG chief executive officer Mary Mwiti said in a letter to her KSAA counterpart Elijah Mbaru.
Ms Mwiti said the meeting resolved that in the interest of cooperation and efficiency in port operations, Mombasa County would enter into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Kephis to define a structured approach to container and vessel inspections within the respective mandates of each entity.
The suspension comes as a relief to traders and shippers who had protested against the new fees, terming them a barrier to trade.
In the notice to stakeholders signed by Kephis managing director Theophilus Mutui, the regulator had indicated that all shipping lines and agents would be required to share the manifest for both imports and exports with the department in advance to facilitate efficient inspection and compliance.
Earlier this month, importers protested against the implementation of phytosanitary services introduced by Kephis and the exorbitant charges for physical testing, examination and inspection of containers and vessels.
“This is to notify all stakeholders that these charges will take effect from March 1, 2025, following an agreement made during stakeholders meetings held on December 10, 2024, and February 19, 2025,” the State agency said in announcing the introduction of the now suspended inspection fees.
“The rollout will begin with a pilot phase covering both inbound and outbound sea vessels and containers to ensure phytosanitary compliance, mitigate risks, and uphold trade standards. The charges will be Sh2,000 for sea vessels and Sh500 for 20/40 feet containers,” it added.
Protesting the new fees, Mr Mbaru said that shipping was regulated by international laws and the move by Kephis would cause additional delays in the supply chain.
He added that the charges were a duplication of the services already provided by Kenya Port Health.
“Kephis has no business to do with inspection of ships, it’s a confine of International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and pegged in the cluster of Marpol [the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships] port state control under Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA),” he said.
“Also, all containers are inspected from the port of load by qualified surveyors for empties and laden by various government organs and issued with a COC (certificate of compliance), hence charges are not warranted at all; additionally port health under FAL (Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic) board the ships to ensure conformity of edibles and crew hygiene, including medicines onboard,” Mr Mbaru said.
The FAL convention contains standards, recommended practices and rules for simplifying formalities, information requirements and procedures on ships.
