The Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA) has temporarily halted container and vessel inspection charges imposed by the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (Kephis) at Mombasa port. This decision aims to resolve disputes between government agencies and industry stakeholders regarding the contentious levies, potentially saving shippers millions.

• If implemented, Kephis's new charges, rolled out on a pilot basis in March 2025, would have generated an estimated Sh753 million in additional revenue annually, given Mombasa handles approximately 1,750 vessels and over 2 million containers annually.
• The Kenya Ships Agents Association (KSAA), led by Chief Executive Elijah Mbaru, strongly opposed the new levies, arguing they duplicated services already offered by other agencies free of charge and that Kephis lacked the capacity for such inspections.
• The suspension comes amidst stakeholder calls for a risk-based inspection regime focusing only on plant-related consignments, not all cargo types, and concerns that these new fees and proposed Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) tariff hikes will significantly increase the cost of doing business at the port.