NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 7 – The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has seized 529 electronic items valued at about Sh13 million following an enforcement operation at a residential apartment in Kileleshwa, Nairobi.

The items were recovered after KRA officers received intelligence on suspected customs tax evasion, smuggling of electronic goods and the use of residential premises to store and sell commercial goods.

The seized items include 358 laptops, nine iPads and 162 electronic accessories.

The laptops comprised 269 Dell, 83 HP and six Lenovo units, while the iPads were iPad Mini models.

The accessories included 150 Bluetooth devices, six laptop chargers and six laptop batteries.

KRA said the goods are suspected to have been smuggled into the country without payment of the required taxes and customs duties.

The items have been taken into KRA custody as investigations continue to establish their source, how they entered the country and the applicable tax and customs obligations.

The authority said the operation followed intelligence indicating that a foreign national was allegedly running an illegal business involving the storage and movement of electronic goods without complying with customs and tax requirements.

KRA said it is also investigating the use of residential apartments as warehouses for commercial goods, particularly by traders operating small retail businesses in Nairobi’s city centre.

The authority said the practice gives an unfair advantage to traders who avoid taxes and customs duties over businesses that comply with the law.

The seizure is part of KRA’s wider efforts to curb smuggling, tax evasion and other forms of illicit trade while protecting government revenue.

KRA urged members of the public to report suspected cases of smuggling and tax evasion through its reporting channels, including the iWhistle platform.

The authority said further action will be taken against individuals or businesses found to have been involved in the suspected offences after investigations are completed.