Clearing and forwarding agents have accused the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) of delaying the issuance of licences.
The agents claimed that 1,300 clearing and forwarding firms had yet to get their 2017 licences.
They demanded the removal of KRA Commissioner General John Njiraini, claiming that the Mombasa port was benefiting foreigners at the expense of local people. They said their Ugandan and Rwandan counterparts had already been licensed and were working as local agents struggle with KRA's bureaucracy.
According to their spokesman, Mr Moges Ndale, the agents have not been awarded licences since November last year and have been operating on temporary extensions while multinationals were fully licensed.
Ndale said multinational companies were licensed to operate for three years while local firms must renew their permits every year.
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"We are willing to be vetted, but we have not been sensitised on the matter. KRA has all the information about us in its system and we wonder why it is demanding more," he said.
KRA's southern region coordinator, Mr Nicholas Kinoti, said that despite the delay in issuing fresh licences, KRA had not stopped any clearing and forwarding company from operating. He promised the agents that their grievances would be addressed.
"We have picked up your issues and we will forward them to KRA headquarters. We will receive communication from the commissioner general in the next two days," Kinoti told the protesters outside KRA's Mombasa offices.
Mombasa County Commissioner Evans Achoki, who received the agent's petition, assured them that it would be forwarded to Nairobi and that they would be updated on the matter.
"I commend you for conducting your demonstration in a peaceful manner. You have raised crucial issues and your petition will be forwarded to Nairobi for a decision to be arrived at," Achoki said.
The agents claimed that KRA had paralysed their operations by favouring agents from Uganda and Rwanda as well as multinational companies, adding that they suspected that there was a plan to edge them out.
They further claimed that at least 100 clearing and forwarding agents had gone out of business because of the stringent KRA licensing requirements.
"We suspect there is a plot to kill small clearing and forwarding businesses in favour of multinationals and foreign agents," said James Odoli.
They expressed fears that KRA was plotting to reduce the number of clearing and forwarding companies from more than 1,300 currently to 200.
"We want to be licensed and not merely operate on extensions. We accept to be vetted, but we also want KRA officers to be vetted," said Mr Michael Mwakio.
The agents marched from the Kenya International Freight and Warehousing offices on Moi Avenue and through Nkrumah Road and Mama Ngina Drive in Mombasa town.
