I gave the go ahead for Shelly to send some more boxes
from Australia last week. In preparation
for my trip to London and my shopping spree of stuff I had to get for my West
Africa trip I was hoping there would be enough clothes in the next round that
it would save me some money when I arrived in London and since I left my
packing lost with customs by accident last time I collected stuff in February
it was a mystery as to what was in the boxes.
So 9 days after Shelly dropping them at the Brisbane depot they arrived
into Nairobi, which is a little annoying as the shipping process only takes 3
days, so they sat in Brisbane for nearly a week before getting put on a flight
and I was starting to get worried that they wouldn’t make it to Kenya in time
before I left and if that was the case I would have to pay for storage for 2
weeks at the cargo depot and that would just cost me more money. Anyway to not worry about that as I got the
phone call today that they had arrived and I called Steven (who I had kept on
standby) that we were off to the airport today.
Thursdays happen to be my Nest Day, and again in
anticipation that my stuff was going to arrive today (I could track it on the
web) I told them that I would stop by tomorrow instead, which will make it a
really bust lead up to me leaving Kenya but it just has to be done. This semi-retirement thing has really gotten
busy for me the last 4 weeks and I have to say I am loving it. So Driver Steven picked me up at 9.30am and
we took the bypass to the airport which is a longer route (but more direct) than
heading through the city and sitting in all the traffic that it offers up at
that time of the morning. It really is a
no brainer and even though it is longer, it will save us anything from 30-45
minutes driving, well sitting in traffic time.
This is why I have Steven, he knows the area, he is from Ruaka originally
and still lives in the area-so he is my man in the know. It is always good to get off the major roads,
out of Mzungu territory, and where the bypass takes you is past small villages,
local workers, farmers and you get to see a little bit of the ‘real’ Kenya and
Kenyans going about their daily lives. It
was busy on the bypass today with mostly trucks, as yesterday was a public
holiday (Labour Day) there were more than usual vehicles on the road as we
weaved and overtook our way past chugging, rusty trucks as they groaned their
way over some of the smaller rises. On
our way we phoned Tom, who was the agent we used last time, to let him know we
were on our way and if he was working today-which he was, so we knew we were in
good hands with him on our side. I KNOW
that we were ripped off in the tax department last time, and I am sure that Tom
can see the schilling signs again for this trip and I am afraid he will be in
for a rude shock if he thinks he will rip me off twice. Yes after nearly 4 months in Kenya I am a
little wiser and I intend to stick to my guns on an amount when the time
comes.
It took us an hour to get to the airport and after
arriving to the entrance of the cargo section there was a security check point
we had to pass through where they check the car inside and underneath with
mirrors, we move forward 20m to collect a parking ticket that would then have
to be paid on our way out. The great
thing of doing this whole process before we had a great indication on how long
things would take and knew pretty much what was happening. We picked up Tom who was waiting where we had
met him a few months ago and we were on our way to start what would be a 5 hour
process. My boxes came in on Singapore
Airlines again so we headed back to the same cargo company where we had to get
the car checked again before being allowed to enter the carpark and warehouse, again
inside and underneath, and this time we also had to sign some paperwork that we
didn’t have to do last time, including a passport check. Tom had to walk through the gate, he wasn’t
allowed to pass in the car with us and then we left Steven with the car and
walked to the counters that were set up in the warehouse, which was a very
large shed. Inside was a massive cage
that took up ¾ of the warehouse, where the cargo was stored, and then the rest of
the area was taken up with a long counter and some offices to the right as you
walked in. Tom took me to the counter
and showed my passport that was noted down, I signed some paperwork that was
then given to me and we were given a copy and we were ready for customs.
Customs was in a different part of the estate a 5 minute
drive away located in a large building that was surrounded by a security fence and
was a hive of activity with a large carpark where there were agents walking
around, a small food van and just in general people everywhere. Unlike last time where I went in with Tom, he
told me to just wait in the car which I was okay with as I knew what he had to
do and armed with my passport he was off.
What was a little weird was I knew we had to pay a flat fee of 8750KSH (102AUD)
to Customs and Tom didn’t take any cash from me bar the 250KSH needed for the
file fee. Steven and I decided to just
sit tight and I knew eventually I would be hit for the money. Tom returned 40 minutes later and with more
paperwork in hand we headed back to Siginon headquarters.
So we headed back down the road, passing security again, parking
the car, and Tom leaving Steven and I in the car to tackle the next process of
getting us assigned a Customs inspector.
We waited for 40 minutes and then I got the call to come in and wait
another 20 minutes (as they were now on a break) and just after 12.10pm the
next step of the process was to actually check my goods over with the agent and
Custom inspector. The job of the
inspector was to check that what was in the bags was permitted into the country
and whether I had to pay any duty on the goods I was bringing based on new items
and the percentage of tax to be paid . So
my agent was assigned, I was given a high visibility vest to wear and then we
had to pass a security check to enter the ‘cage’ and I was frisked by a female
agent and then I could see my stuff sitting on a pallet that had just been
wheeled out. I was prepared for the questions this time and the first
obvious question was did I have anything new which I said I wasn’t too sure,
what was in the boxes-which again I wasn’t too sure as I had packed the boxes
six months ago and then he asked if I had a packing list, which I did, but I
had left it there last time and I know I must of sounded like a real goose,
sounding all wishy washy not knowing all the information but I guess we would
soon find out. The boxes were opened one
by one (I only had 5 this time) and the inspector was quite thorough with his
checking but didn’t seem as intense as the last guy that we had. There were a few clothes with tags that were
ripped off the clothes with the prices and I was quite shocked to see that I
had 2 boxes of Tupperware!!! I forgot I
had so much plastic shit and knowing how expensive it all is I had obviously
decided to keep it all and get it sent to Africa. On the downside for me, most of the
Tupperware hadn’t been used and was still in their original plastic bags-that
won’t be good for the tax bill, dang it.
Otherwise it didn’t look as scary as last time with ‘new things’ busting
out of boxes and tags everywhere so when all the boxes had been resealed,
frisked again heading back out of the ‘cage’, I was told to head back to the
car I was confident that I wouldn’t/shouldn’t have too much revenue tax to pay
this time.
This was now ‘deal’ time.
As Steven and I waited in the car, he asked the obvious question as to
why I wasn’t present for the negotiation.
I guess it made sense for me to be there, but I did say to him that they
would probably still converse in Swahili anyway and it would be pointless and
as the ‘system’ dictates this was just the way it was done. Considering there is only my agent, Tom, and
the customs inspector cutting the deal after waiting for 40 minutes we decided
to call Tom to see what was taking so long and we got the answer that he was on
his way. How can it take so long to ‘negotiate’
or ‘work’ out the revenue tax. As we
waited Steven and I had decided to try and work out a rough guide on how much I
wanted to pay and what we thought they would come back with. Even though the tax is worked out on the
amount of new goods and not weight, after seeing what I had and what I had brought
in before (new stuff) it looked pretty even based on average and we had a
figure of 11,000KSH (132AUD) for the revenue tax, plus the customs fee of
8750KSH (105AUD) and the cargo holding fee of around 2000KSH (24AUD) we were
ready for what Tom was going to throw at us.
Anyway Tom came back to us 5 minutes later, got into the back of the car
and said we were good to go now and head to the Kenyan Revenue building to
pay. He didn’t say how much had been
negotiated and I wasn’t going to move until I knew what the cost was going to
be. He prodded Steven twice that we
could go which got my hackles up and knew that I was going to have to work hard
on this. Tom finally realised that we weren’t
going to move until he gave a price and told us the cost was 35,000KSH (421AUD). I nearly choked-to give you an idea the last
time I picked up nearly double the weight of things and I ended up paying
21,000KSH (253AUD) so there was no way in hell I was paying that much when it
was not as many boxes this time, and I was quite adamant, which Tom must have
picked up on, especially when I made to open my car door and said that I would personally
speak to the customs inspector as that was a ludicrous amount. Without having to consult anyone he said ‘what
about 26,000KSH’ (313AUD). I still said
that was too much and I was NOT going to pay that. Tom let the cat out of the bag and said that
the customs guy wanted 5,000KSH like last time which was interesting to see how
much of the cut he was getting as last time I wasn’t given the breakup of where
my 21,000KSH went. It was still 5,000KSH
more than what I paid last time and again refused the ‘offer’ and then I was
asked how much did I want to pay. Well
the obvious answer is nothing, but knowing that that wasn’t to be an option and
glad I had a price worked out in my head I said 11,000KSH. This is where a light bulb came on and the
prices Tom was giving to me was including the customs fee and also the cargo
handling fee-he didn’t know I didn’t know and then he came back with an amount
of 18,000KSH and after confirming that included everything, I agreed to that
price and we could finally move to the last step of paying the revenue
tax-finally after an hour of waiting. It
is funny how he didn’t have to re-consult with the customs inspector with the
new price and highlighted to me just how much my ‘mate’ Tom is making off the
deal! Cheeky bugger.
We were trying to get all this processed before 1pm when
the government offices closed an hour for lunch between 1-2pm. It was just a few minutes to 1pm and when we
got to the Revenue building and the gate, it was closed already for lunch. Tom asked for 100KSH to give the guard to let
him in so that we could be processed before the office officially closed and it
worked. Steve was saying that Tom
probably knows someone in the revenue office that would work over their lunch
hour (for a fee) and when Tom showed up 15 minutes later this seemed to prove
correct, either that, or he didn’t pay anything and it was all a ruse as no
paperwork is ever produced for this payment.
Our last stop before we could finally collect the boxes was back to the very
first office we were at, to show Customs we had paid the revenue tax, they
process the paperwork and give us a final page showing in print that my items
had passed. Steve and I waited in the
car again, it was 1.10pm, we assumed we had 50 minutes to wait before we could get
processed so you can imagine our shock when Tom turned up at 1.30pm but said we
still had to wait till 2pm before we could head back to Siginon. So this confirmed that things do get
processed during ‘lunch’ but so as not to ‘dob’ in this person who is working
during the lunch hour, we still had to wait till 2pm.
Just after 2pm Tom appeared back at the car with all the
paper work and I was shown the final piece of paper that said my goods had
‘PASSED’ customs and that was the final ticket and key we needed to get my
stuff out of the warehouse!!! Yay!!! We were now on the final stretch. So we all piled back in the car and headed
BACK to Siginon for the third and final time, passing back through the security
gate, passport checked again and parked – we waited-again, in the car, one last
time for the final clearance, which you would think would be just a formality and
not take long to complete, but time is what Kenya has apparently and we had to
wait another hour before we were given the all clear to back up the car and
load my 5 boxes. Tom paid the monies to Siginon, as the freight holder, and 10
minutes later we were able to back the car up to the loading dock and get my
stuff loaded. It was time to then pay
Tom and knowing what I had given him last time, I was happy to pay that again,
as he does do a lot of work, and I know that it is a good wage for him and he
was happy with that payment, but after he didn’t make as much money off me as
he did the first time, the second I had paid him he was gone like a shot, before
we had even left the car park and I wonder if I get more things sent if he will
take the job knowing that he won’t make as much money of this Mzungu anymore? As
I said to Tom, I don’t mind paying a tax, but when I am getting ripped off
because I am a Mzungu is when I have an issue and will put my foot down.
My last payment for the day was to my amazing Driver
Steven. I asked him a few weeks ago how
much does a ride cost to the airport after I had booked my Addis Ababa flights
and he told be 3000KSH (35AUD). I
thought this was fair as the airport to the city is 2000KSH and I’m on the
other side. So I had today priced at
least 6000KSH for the return ride and then his time for the 5 hours he sat
around and ran around all the buildings for the day. So it came down to me asking what his price
was for the day and he generously said he would just charge me for a half day
and told me 7,000KSH. I was totally
happy with that and the tipped him an additional 500KSH on top of that. He really is a good egg and I am glad that
Caretaker Charles recommended him to me.
So I had a much more successful trip to the airport this
time than last time and it is just another positive that I think I am slowly
becoming ‘Kenyan-ized’ and you know what it is a great feeling!!! Keep that great feeling running that I now
have all my boxes from Australia now in Kenya (less the 4 that are full of Elmo’s)
and with just a few loose personal items to still make their way here (which I
will fix up at Christmas) it is an amazing feeling that my transition to Kenya
is 99.9% complete.
So, to ask myself again - after all that would I send
boxes again? The answer is yes.
Was it worth the money spent? The answer is yes-to have my personal items
with me is priceless.
So what I learnt the first time applies for the second time
but add in a bit of brashness/ballziness to the below tips I reckon I could
just about make it a painless process for my next shipment.
1. Don’t
send new stuff. If it is new, take it
out of its box and cut off tags-wallah it is used!
2. Block
out the whole day for collection of said goods.
3. Make
sure you have a great agent and a patient driver.
4. Bring
lots of cash to make payments to everyone that needs to be paid.
Give me all you have Kenya.
As a Mzungu I accept your challenge and I raise you as I
grow more accustomed to your ways, the good and the bad as I forge my life
further in your wonderful, albeit sometimes (well more than sometimes) corrupt
country.
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