The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has given importers and owners of goods lying uncleared at customs warehouses in Naivasha and the Port of Mombasa a final 30-day grace period to clear their cargo or risk losing it through a public auction.
The directive, issued under Section 42(1) of the East African Community Customs Management Act (EACCMA), 2004, requires owners of goods that have exceeded the statutory customs clearance and warehousing period to complete the clearance process within 30 days from the date of the first publication of the notice (July 29, 2026).
Affected importers must pay all outstanding taxes, customs duties, storage fees, penalties, fines and any other accrued charges before collecting their goods. URA warned that any cargo remaining uncleared after the expiry of the grace period will automatically be disposed of through a public auction in accordance with the law.
Commenting on the exercise, URA Commissioner General John Musinguzi Rujoki urged importers to take advantage of the window provided to regularise their consignments.
“We encourage all importers and cargo owners to use this 30-day window to clear their goods and avoid unnecessary losses. Timely clearance of cargo is essential for improving trade efficiency, reducing congestion at customs facilities and ensuring the smooth movement of goods along the Northern Corridor. As URA, we remain committed to facilitating legitimate trade while enforcing the law fairly, consistently and transparently,” Rujoki said.
The move is expected to decongest customs warehouses while improving the efficiency of cargo movement along the Northern Corridor, one of East Africa’s busiest trade routes. It also underscores URA’s continued efforts to promote voluntary compliance with customs laws while ensuring that storage facilities remain available for newly imported cargo.
URA further announced that the auction process has been fully automated, and so, interested bidders will be able to access the user guide, terms and conditions of sale, and the list of auction items through URA’s online auction portal, and all goods will be sold on an “as is” basis.
The Authority also released indicative one-off storage and Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) charges applicable to motor vehicles being cleared from Mombasa and Naivasha. Owners of vehicles up to 15 cubic metres will pay USD 250, while two vehicles exceeding 15 CBM will attract USD 350. Prime movers and trucks will be charged USD 600, trailers USD 1,000, while the UNBS inspection fee for motor vehicles will be USD 140.
URA explained that cargo stored in Naivasha will also attract additional railway transport and port handling charges. Successful auction bidders will, in addition, be required to pay the applicable motor vehicle registration fees where necessary.
According to the schedule released by the Authority, online viewing of the auctioned goods will take place between August 31 and September 5, 2026, while bidding will run from September 7 to September 12, 2026.
The tax body has also reminded owners of goods that are eventually auctioned that the law allows them to claim any balance remaining after the proceeds have settled all taxes, duties, storage fees and other charges. Applications for reimbursement must be submitted to the Commissioner Customs within one year from the date of the auction as provided for under Section 42(5) of the EACCMA.
