The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has announced a major 36-hour shutdown of its Integrated Customs Management System (iCMS), a move that will effectively paralyze cargo clearance at all entry points this weekend. The taxman says the downtime is necessary for critical system maintenance aimed at boosting efficiency.

In a notice issued Friday, KRA alerted importers, exporters, and clearing agents that the system will go dark from Saturday, February 7, 2026, at 6:00 PM until Monday, February 9, 2026, at 6:00 AM. The disruption comes at a sensitive time for the logistics sector, which is already grappling with congestion at the Port of Mombasa. The "So What?" is immediate: thousands of containers will be stuck, and supply chains will face delays.

The authority has framed the shutdown as a "pain for gain" scenario. "This enhancement will deliver improved transaction processing, improved system response times, and a more reliable user experience," KRA stated on X. The iCMS has been prone to erratic performance in the past, leading to frustration among traders who lose millions in demurrage charges whenever the system hangs.

Logistical Nightmare

For the logistics industry, the weekend shutdown presents a logistical nightmare. Clearing agents are racing against time to process urgent declarations before the Saturday evening deadline. The Kenya International Freight and Warehousing Association (KIFWA) has urged its members to plan accordingly, but grumbles remain about the frequency of these "maintenance" windows.

The iCMS is the heartbeat of Kenya's international trade. It handles everything from cargo manifestation to duty payments. When it goes offline, the country's borders effectively close to commerce. The timing—spanning a weekend—is designed to minimize impact, but for a 24-hour economy, a 36-hour blackout is significant.

• The Shutdown: Saturday, Feb 7 (1800hrs) to Monday, Feb 9 (0600hrs).
• The Impact: No customs declarations, payments, or gate passes can be processed during this window.
• The Goal: To fix bugs and upgrade server capacity for faster processing speeds in the future.

A Test of Patience

Traders are skeptical. Previous maintenance exercises have often extended beyond the advertised hours, leading to chaotic Mondays at the port. "We just hope they stick to the time," said one clearing agent in Mombasa. "Every extra hour the system is down costs us money that we cannot recover."

KRA has apologized for the inconvenience, promising that the upgraded system will be worth the wait. As the countdown to the shutdown begins, the pressure is on the technical team at Times Tower to deliver a glitch-free reboot come Monday morning. Failure to do so will not only anger traders but also dent the revenue collection targets that KRA is aggressively chasing.

For now, the ports brace for a quiet weekend, followed by a frantic Monday rush.