Kenyan police fire tear gas at Nairobi protest against import duty hike

Traders frustrated by more than $5,000 duty hike they say will hurt small businesses.Published On 28 Aug 202628 Aug 2026Police in Kenya have fired tear gas at small-scale traders who are protesting against a hike in import duties, as hundreds of businesses closed ⁠in central Nairobi.The demonstrations on Friday brought parts of the capital city to a standstill, with tear gas hurled at protesters frustrated with the rising cost of living and business expenses.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Al-Shabab kills five Kenyan security personnel in ambushlist 2 of 4Can the AU make its current Sudan mission count?list 3 of 4Seven people, mostly foreign tourists, killed in helicopter crash in Kenyalist 4 of 4Can Kenya’s AI ambitions coexist with Naivasha’s water needs?end of listKenya’s revenue authority says the higher import duty – which took effect last week – is designed to tackle the under-declaration and undervaluation of imported goods, which it said disadvantages compliant businesses and local manufacturers.The duty change raises the minimum customs benchmark ⁠for a consolidated 40-foot (12-metre) container to ⁠3.2 million Kenyan shillings ($24,700) from 2.5 million ($19,...