The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) is moving to adopt blockchain technology as part of a broader push to speed up cargo clearance and reduce the paperwork burden that has long slowed trade through the country’s ports and border points. The authority is adopting the Trade Logistics Information Pipeline (TLIP), a blockchain enabled digital platform meant to replace cumbersome paperwork with instant digital records.
The problem TLIP is designed to solve is familiar to anyone who has moved goods through Mombasa. International cargo entering Kenya currently passes through numerous organizations, including shipping lines, clearing agents, customs officers, port authorities, transporters, warehouses and regulators such as the Kenya Bureau of Standards, the Port Health Service and the Agriculture and Food Authority. Although most of these agencies run their own digital systems, traders often end up submitting the same shipping documents repeatedly because the systems don’t fully communicate with one another.
KRA’s Commissioner for Customs and Border Control, Lilian Nyawanda, said the platform brings clearing agents, logistics companies, and government agencies into one digital system so trade information can move securely across borders, cutting repeated paperwork and processing time. Because blockchain entries are time-stamped and difficult to alter without a visible trace, the technology could help limit unauthorized data changes and duplicated documentation within the customs process.
Importers are now required to obtain an Advance Cargo Declaration (ACD) reference code before loading containerized cargo destined for Kenyan ports, by uploading a draft bill of lading, commercial invoice, freight invoice and export declaration to receive a 15-digit alphanumeric code.
Not everyone is convinced the rollout has been smooth. The Road Freight Association has warned that the tight implementation timeline could create port bottlenecks and disrupt regional supply chains, noting that hauliers moving containers to South African ports must now finalize documentation before trucks even leave the depot. Importers, exporters and logistics firms have separately raised concerns that the new declaration requirement could increase business costs and delay the movement of goods.
The push comes alongside other technology investments. KRA reported collecting a record KSh988.8 billion in customs revenue during the 2025-2026 financial year, crediting part of the gain to technology led reforms. Whether TLIP ultimately shortens clearance times or adds early friction for traders adjusting to it remains to be seen.
