If you source your goods from outside Kenya, read & understand this. It will save you.
From next week, November 1, KRA has announced that all imports, goods coming to Kenya, must be insured by a Kenyan insurance company. Not a foreign insurance company.
KRA has sworn that it will block goods from customs clearance if they are not insured locally.
Here is what you need do to avoid business disruptions.
1. Review your supplier contracts. If you import under CIF terms, check who is arranging and paying for insurance. Consider CFR or FOB for future shipments, so you can arrange local insurance without paying twice.
2. Arrange your digital insurance early. Find a Kenyan insurer and confirm how to obtain the Digital MCI certificate and have it transmitted to iCMS before your clearing agent lodges the customs declaration.
3. Talk to your clearing agent now. Identify shipments already in transit or due to arrive after Nov 1. Don't wait until your goods reach Mombasa to discover that Kenyan insurance certificate is needed.
4. Check shipments already booked under CIF. Speak to your supplier about the existing insurance cost before buying another policy. Agree on any changes or credit in writing.
This change affects not only orders placed after November 1, but also goods already on the waters that arrive after October.
Plan early.
As a small business owner, you need four simple records:
1. Cashbook—This shows all the money coming in and money going out. It helps you know exactly how much cash you have at any time.
2. Sales book—This helps you track all your sales, so you know what you sold, to whom, and for how much.
3. Purchases book—This helps you record all the items or services you buy for your business. It shows how much you spend and helps manage costs.
4. Debtors/Creditors list—You need to know who owes you money (debtors) and whom you owe money (creditors).
With these four records, you can easily track your business performance, plan your finances, avoid losses, and make better decisions.
#NjakweOnFinancialLiteracy