The Kenya Revenue Authority will move to a multi-vendor arrangement for electronically monitoring and tracking goods held under customs control starting October 26, 2026, according to The Star, Kenya. Under the change, the authority will stop using its own electronic seals on dry cargo and motor vehicle units, with approved private suppliers taking over the provision of the devices.
The shift was announced in a public notice issued on Friday, October 16, and covers the Regional Electronic Cargo Tracking System, known as RECTS. The Star, Kenya reports that the new arrangement is called the Multi-Vendor User-Owned Framework.
In the notice, the authority said the Commissioner of Customs and Border Control would begin rolling out the framework on that date. From then on, the notice stated, electronic monitoring and tracking of goods under customs control would be carried out only through devices supplied by approved vendors.
Why it matters
The electronic cargo tracking system follows goods moving under customs control, including consignments carried across borders and along designated transit routes. Because the seals are the practical link between a shipment and the tax authority's oversight, any change in who supplies and operates them affects how quickly cargo moves and how easily it clears.
The transition also changes the commercial relationship behind the devices. Instead of using equipment owned by the tax authority, users will enter into private commercial agreements with approved vendors, according to The Star, Kenya. That gives importers, exporters, transporters and other users the ability to pick their preferred service provider, and it places the supply of the tracking devices in private hands.
For businesses, the deadline is close. The Star, Kenya notes that affected companies will need to make arrangements with approved providers before October 26 to avoid interruptions in cargo monitoring and clearance.
What changes on October 26
The notice sets out a clean break for dry cargo and motor vehicle units. The authority's existing electronic seals for those categories stop operating on the same date the rollout begins, and approved vendors take over supplying the devices.
Fuel and other wet cargo are treated differently. Electronic seals used to monitor those goods are also affected by the change, but the authority said the devices it currently owns for that purpose would be wound down gradually rather than all at once, according to The Star, Kenya.
The notice did not say how many companies have been cleared to provide the tracking services. The authority said the list of approved vendors would be posted on its website, and that stakeholders could also ask for the information by email or in person at the Cargo Monitoring Unit on the 13th floor of Times Tower in Nairobi, or at other customs offices.
The Star, Kenya reports that importers, exporters, clearing and forwarding agents, transporters, bonded warehouse operators and businesses operating across the region have been notified of the transition.
A user-owned model for regional transit
The framework's name points to two features that separate it from the current setup: multiple vendors and user ownership. Rather than a single supplier tied to the tax authority, several approved companies can provide the seals, and the users who need them acquire the devices directly.
That structure is meant to govern both the supply and the use of electronic seals for monitoring goods under customs control, with the transition following the timelines laid out in the notice, according to The Star, Kenya.
The authority has framed the move as a rollout rather than an immediate switch for every category of cargo. Dry cargo and motor vehicle units move to the new system on October 26, while the authority's own seals for fuel and other wet cargo are retired in stages.
What to watch
The immediate question for traders is the approved vendor list, which the authority says will be published on its website. Businesses that move goods under customs control will need to confirm their provider and complete commercial arrangements before the October 26 start date, or risk disruption to monitoring and clearance processes.
