A scheduled maintenance of Kenya Revenue Authority’s (KRA) Integrated Customs Management System (iCMS), has disrupted cargo movement at the Mombasa port resulting in massive traffic gridlock at the gateway.
The iCMS is a crucial platform for clearance of import and export cargo. It was taken offline for upgrades on Friday for 36-hours. KRA adopted the iCMS in October 2021, marking a shift for the country, which for a long time lacked an integrated customs management system aligned with those used by other East African Communities (EAC).
The iCMS involves submitting export or import documents into a single-window system and provides an efficient interface with the customs management systems of the EAC neighbours. The disruption on the iCMS has resulted in long truck traffic spanning more than two kilometers at Gate 24 and other facility entries.
Vehicles that were expected to pick up cargo from the port of Mombasa have been queuing, waiting for the system restoration, causing serious delays and losses to transporters.
In a statement, KRA disclosed that the disruption would last for 36 hours from Saturday, February 7, 2026, at 6 pm to Monday, February 9, 2026, at 6 am.
‘We wish to inform partner government agencies, importers, exporters, clearing agents, shipping lines, and the general public of scheduled major maintenance for the iCMS,” stated KRA.
The downtime has affected various users of the iCMS platform, including importers, exporters, clearing and forwarding agents, shipping lines, and some government agencies.
KRA advised stakeholders to submit all urgent declarations, complete payments, and prioritise the clearance of perishable and time-sensitive consignments before the system goes offline on Saturday evening.
By Monday evening, 12 hours after the expected restoration time, the system had a downtime, disrupting cargo clearance further.
‘We expected the system to be restored by Monday morning, as it was communicated that we could not transact, forcing KRA to reboot the system. Today, Tuesday, the system is working but at a slow pace, as traders scramble to clear their goods,’ said Mr Roy Mwanthi, a clearing and forwarding agent in Mombasa.
Mr John Kidasi, one of the drivers who has been on the queue for more than two days, said there was no hope of getting cleared in the next 24 hours.
‘I have been in the queue since Saturday. I have tried to explain to my boss, but he’s not understanding the situation, but as it is, I have no hope of collecting cargo before Wednesday,’ said Mr Kidasi.
According to the KRA, the maintenance exercise was aimed at enhancing system performance, improving transaction processing speeds, and ensuring a more reliable user experience.
The authority has since apologised for any inconvenience that was caused and appealed for cooperation as it works to improve service delivery and system reliability.
“KRA regrets any inconvenience caused and appreciates the cooperation of all stakeholders as we improve our service delivery,” it stated.
Before this, the port had already been dealing with congestion due to high container volume and previous system bottlenecks. KRA and the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) announced urgent measures, including moving cargo that has stayed for over 21 days to Container Freight Stations (CFSs) and transferring transit cargo to Naivasha Inland Container Depot for clearance.
Increased utilisation of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) for cargo evacuation to inland depots in Nairobi and Naivasha has been initiated to ease pressure.
The authorities have framed these actions as a “pain for gain” scenario, promising better system performance after the upgrade.