KRA announces scheduled eight-hour iCMS system maintenance
By Faith Lagat, October 11, 2025The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has announced that its Integrated Customs Management System (iCMS) will undergo scheduled maintenance on Sunday, October 12, 2025.
According to a public notice issued on KRA’s official X account on Saturday, October 11, 2025, the maintenance will run from 6:00 am to 2:00 pm, lasting a total of eight hours.
During this period, the iCMS platform will be inaccessible to both internal staff and external stakeholders, including importers, exporters, and clearing agents.
KRA advised users to plan their operations accordingly to minimize disruptions and expressed regret for any inconvenience caused during the exercise.
“Please be advised that there will be a scheduled maintenance of iCMS from Sunday, 12th October, 2025, 6:00 AM to Sunday, 12th October, 2025, 2:00 PM.”
KRA has, however, regretted any inconveniences that the maintenance would cause, noting that “We regret any inconvenience caused.”
The iCMS role in trade facilitation
The iCMS platform is a critical digital infrastructure used to automate customs transactions and streamline the processing of import and export documentation across Kenya’s ports, including the Port of Mombasa. Introduced during former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s second term, the system replaced multiple manual processes, reduced reliance on disparate platforms, and improved workflow efficiency.
Through iCMS, KRA has significantly cut cargo clearance times from days to hours by integrating key processes under one platform. It plays a central role in enhancing trade facilitation, boosting efficiency at entry points, and strengthening revenue collection mechanisms.
However, the system has previously experienced outages, including a five-day disruption in November 2024 at the Port of Mombasa, which left tea exports worth Ksh 3.25 billion stranded. The incident underscored the critical importance of system reliability in supporting trade flows and revenue performance.
Record customs revenue collection
The scheduled maintenance comes shortly after KRA announced a record-breaking customs revenue collection for September 2025. The authority collected Ksh 85.146 billion, the highest monthly amount in its history, surpassing the target of Ksh 81.341 billion by Ksh 3.806 billion and achieving a performance rate of 104.7 percent.
The September figures represented an 18.8 percent increase compared to the same month in 2024. Trade taxes contributed Ksh 51.7 billion, a 22 percent rise, while petroleum taxes brought in Ksh 33.4 billion, representing a 109 percent performance rate.
KRA attributed the strong performance to ongoing reforms, including the central release operations office, which minimizes human contact, reduces corruption risks, and accelerates cargo clearance.
The scheduled iCMS maintenance is expected to enhance the platform’s reliability, ensuring it continues to support efficient trade and revenue collection.