Suspicious repeat short trips by a passenger between Nairobi and Dubai have led to the discovery of a scheme some shrewd traders use to ship in undeclared high-value smartphones through the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport(JKIA).
The Kenya Revenue Authority(KRA) said the travel pattern by a single passenger prompted its customs officers to scrutinise the history of his trips and luggage, resulting in an interception of 40 undeclared iPhones valued Sh8.2 million at JKIA.
The unnamed passenger entered Kenya on September 15 and left two days later, returned on September 19 and exited the following day, then entered again on September 21 and left on September 22.
He returned to Kenya on September 23, according to KRA, whose officers subjected him to further questioning over the frequent short trips.
The questioning established that the passenger was carrying the phones as a courier for a Dubai-based client, rather than transporting personal electronics.
“It was later established that the passenger was acting as a courier for a client based in Dubai and indicated that the smartphones were destined for Kenya,” KRA said in a statement on Thursday.
The 40 devices, comprising iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models, were concealed among assorted items in three small suitcases and a backpack.
The passenger had told officers he was transiting through Kenya to a neighbouring country by road, but his passport and travel history prompted additional checks.
The phones were detected during routine baggage screening at Terminal 1A International Arrivals. A subsequent physical search recovered the devices from the luggage.
The passenger had not declared the phones to Customs, exposing a potential route traders use to move expensive electronics into the country without using formal commercial cargo channels.
The interception comes weeks after KRA uncovered a separate case involving the concealment and under-declaration of smartphones in consolidated cargo passing through the Eldoret International Airport.
Investigators in that case found 55,607 basic smartphones in a shipment whose customs documents declared only 3,000 phones. They also found 309 undeclared high-end devices.
KRA calculated an additional tax liability of Sh56 million and recommended prosecution or administrative settlement of the importer and clearing agent.
The Eldoret case is separate from the JKIA interception, but together the cases show the different channels being used to bring smartphones into Kenya, from passenger luggage to consolidated commercial cargo.
While the latest seizure at the JKIA involved 40 high-end phones, the Eldoret case involved tens of thousands of devices concealed in a commercial shipment.
The JKIA phones have been deposited at the Customs Warehouse pending clearance and verification procedures.
KRA said the latest interception demonstrates the significance of combining baggage scanners with analysis of movements of travellers and targeted questioning.
