Govt Announces Public Auction of Vehicles, Schools & Factory Equipment

Through the Customs and Border Control Department (CBCD), the government invited the public to bid for items that will be auctioned on January 5, 2023.

In the gazette notice dated Friday, December 2, school furniture intended for donation, kitchen cabinets, steel coils, and alcohol, such as whiskies, were put up for sale.

Grand items such as motor vehicles, baby diaper machine spare parts, rice mill machinery, and automatic brush carwash systems were also featured.

Refurbished gaming machines, denim fabric, sofa sets, sugar, lamps, butyl acetate, household goods, chocolate, candies, and bales of used shoes, and solar home systems were also headed for the auctioneers mallet.

Vehicles at an auction site (left) and Times Tower which houses KRA offices.File

The uncollected goods were brought in the country between 2020 and October 2022 and will be disposed from the customs warehouse and availed for inspection by interested buyers.

"Viewing will take place at the Customs Warehouse, Inland Container Depot Nairobi (ICDE) in Nairobi on January 2 and 3, 2023, during office hours," the gazette notice stated.

CBCD department collects and accounts for Import Duty and VAT on imports, and collects the agency fees on behalf of other cargo-related institutions.

“Pursuant to the provisions of section 42 of the East African Community Customs Management Act, 2004, notice is given that unless the under-mentioned goods are entered and removed from the Customs Warehouse within thirty (30) days from the date of this notice," the gazette notice read.

According to the law, commodities auctioned by the government are often considered to be abandoned goods by owners who failed to pay revenue that accumulated since the date of importation.

Unless such goods are removed within 30 days from the date of notice, they are listed for sale by public auction.

In early November, 2022, Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) announced a motor vehicle auction exercise of over 440 vehicles in different customs warehouses, belonging to individuals who had failed to remit taxes and other charges.

Directional signage for an auction.File alcohol