By Elias Makori, Managing Editor

Fresh from last weekend’s record-breaking performances at the Chicago Marathon that put Kenya steadily on the global map, the country’s elite athletes were in for a rude shock at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Wednesday morning when officials from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) demanded that they pay duty for a consignment of training and competition shoes they had brought in, as required by law.

Weary from their long travel from Chicago where Ruth Chepng’etich hogged global headlines by obliterating the women’s world marathon record in “Windy City,” the athletes were interrogated by the KRA officials for hours before official from the sports ministry came to the rescue.

Kenya's Joyciline Jepkosgei breaks the world half marathon record at the Prague Half Marathon in the Czech Republic. Jepkogei's training equipment has been detained at nairobi's JKIA over unpaid customs duty

Joyciline Jepkosgei, winner of the 2019 New York Marathon and 2021 London Marathon, and who finished fifth in Chicago last Sunday, was distraught.

“Hello everyone. We have arrived at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport from the Chicago Marathon and we need help here at the airport. KRA officers have taken two bags of training shoes charging Sh19,000 (duty) for every pair. Kindly help,” Jepkosgei desperately wrote on an athletes’ WhatApp group, before intervention by the ministry.

Chepng’etich clocked an incredible two hours, nine minutes and 56 seconds on Sunday to become the first woman to run a sub-2:10 marathon, shaving about two minutes off the previous world record on 2:11:53 set in Berlin last year by Ethiopian Tgist Assefa.

Jepkosgei finished fifth in 2:20:51 with compatriot, Irene Cheptai, finishing third in 2:17:52.

Another Kenyan, John Korir, won the men’s race in a personal best 2:02:43 with former World Championships bronze medallist Amos Kipruto (2:04:50) third and Vincent Ng’etich fourth in 2:05:15.

Making his debut, world 10,000 metres silver medallist Daniel Simiu Ebenyo ran a brilliant race to finish fifth in 2:06:04.

How the Daily Nation reported the confiscation of two-time world marathon champion Abel Kirui's training and competition equipment at JKIA. 

Simiu was also affected by Wednesday’s customs drama, saying training shoes and kit meant for himself and his training partners had been “confiscated” and was locked up at the airport.

“My manager (Lee-Roy Newton) had brought in the equipment just as we were leaving for the Chicago Marathon, but the bags were confiscated and they (KRA) are asking for Sh343,000. This is quite unfortunate,” Simiu said upon arrival from the US on Wednesday.

The bags are still being held at the airport alongside others belonging to unknown athletes.

However, KRA stood their ground that the athletes must pay duty for the equipment, as required by law.

“One athlete had 40 pairs of shoes, saying they were gifts. But even if these are gifts or tools of trade, they (athletes) are supposed to pay duty on these,” Paul Agonda from KRA’s communication office reacted.

He maintained there was no need for anyone to intimidate customs officials as there are rules and regulations to be followed by the multiagency teams managing Kenya’s ports of entry, adding that KRA is responsible for the assessment, collection and accounting of all revenues that are due to the government in accordance with the laws of Kenya, and that’s why they screen and collect tax from taxable items.

Athletics Kenya (AK) have been pushing for waivers on duty on athletes’ training and competition equipment arguing that these athletes bring glory to the nation and deserve full government support.

“The AK President wrote a letter a while ago to the former Cabinet Secretary to intervene. The former CS then wrote to the Principal Secretary at Treasury for a waiver on athletes’ products... it was denied,” Barnaba Korir, a member of the Athletics Kenya executive said on Wednesday.

“The KRA is constitutionally mandated to collect revenue. It (waiver), therefore, requires Parliamentary intervention. Last year, a young athlete’s shoes was held. I sought Hon. (MP Gladys) Shollei’s intervention. She tried, but the product was not released,” Korir added, noting that all is not lost in the fight to motivate the athletes via tax incentives.

“Lately, some arrangements have been made. Any athlete bringing shoes will seek a letter from Athletics Kenya as a support document. So far, this has worked for many athletes,” he explained.

On Wednesday, Bernard Ouma, a celebrated coach and currently an official at the sports ministry, said the office of Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen had sought special exemption for the items brought in by the Chicago Marathon athletes but maintained that prior, detailed communication with and request to the KRA through AK and the ministry would prevent such incidences as witnessed on Wednesday morning.

KRA also recommended more education for the athletes on issues around taxation, duty and related government revenue generation procedures.