The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has announced a 12-hour maintenance exercise on its Integrated Customs Management System (iCMS), temporarily affecting stakeholders who rely on the platform for customs-related services. In a notice issued on Thursday, September 10, KRA said the maintenance is scheduled for Sunday, September 13, from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The authority described the exercise as part of its planned maintenance activities for iCMS and advised all users to take note of the scheduled downtime.
KRA said the maintenance will affect all iCMS users throughout the 12-hour period. The affected stakeholders include government agencies, importers, exporters, clearing agents and shipping lines, among other users who interact with the customs system. KRA has previously identified these groups as users of iCMS in its official maintenance notices. The system supports customs processes, including cargo clearance and related electronic transactions. KRA has progressively expanded iCMS to support customs operations at the Port of Mombasa, the Inland Container Depot in Nairobi and border stations. Users who need to undertake customs-related transactions during the scheduled downtime may therefore experience interruptions in accessing the affected services.
KRA has urged users to take note of the maintenance window and make the necessary arrangements before the system goes offline. The authority has previously advised customs stakeholders facing planned iCMS downtime to submit urgent declarations, complete payments and clear time-sensitive cargo in advance to minimise operational disruptions. For businesses handling imports and exports, the timing of the maintenance may be particularly relevant where customs processing is required over the weekend. KRA has not indicated that the planned downtime is linked to a system failure or security incident. The authority has instead described it as scheduled maintenance.
The maintenance is expected to end at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 13, after which access to iCMS services is expected to resume. KRA has carried out similar scheduled maintenance exercises as part of efforts to improve system performance, stability, reliability and security. In an earlier 2026 maintenance notice, the authority said such work was intended to improve system speed, user experience and system security. Stakeholders who depend on iCMS for customs transactions are therefore advised to plan their activities around the 12-hour maintenance window to avoid unnecessary delays. The latest notice does not indicate any change to customs procedures or requirements. It only concerns the temporary unavailability of iCMS services during the scheduled maintenance period.