Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) Customs officers based at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in liaison with officers from the Multi-Agency Team have intercepted 5,703 kilograms of live crabs worth Sh1.2 million.
The crabs were packed in 282 cartons destined for export to China.
The authority said through a statement that the crabs are a restricted commodity for export out of the country.
Upon questioning, a clearing agent from Drenal Enterprises Limited informed the officers that the consignment originated from Kilifi County, and was booked for export to China by Weida Investment Ltd.
The clearing agent presented permit documents from the Kenya Fisheries Services (KFS) that were declared non-authentic by KFS.
The consignment is currently being held in custody as KRA awaits further instructions from KFS.
Kilifi is among the counties from the coastal region leading in crab farming.
There is high demand for crabs in the world, and this can only be tapped through farming instead of wild fishing, which could threaten the species in the ocean.
