Nairobi — Tanzanian authorities have been accused of defying an order issued by the East African Court of Justice suspending a controversial excise duty on Kenyan-made safety matches.

"We thought that very soon after the order by the EACJ was issued that we would finally be able to resume match deliveries in Tanzania without the extra 400 TSHS per kg duty, however two weeks later, nothing has changed," a senior official familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity.

"The duty is still active on the system, and our trucks continue to be charged. We even presented the court order at the border but we continue to be told that the duty is in place. The order from the EACJ is not being adhered to by the Tanzanian authorities," the official added.

The court had issued an interim injunction restraining the Tanzania Revenue Authority from enforcing a Tsh400 per kilogram excise levy introduced under Tanzania's Finance Act 2025 on imports of safety matches from Kenya.

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The order, issued by the court's First Instance Division in Arusha, will remain in force pending the hearing and determination of a case filed by Match Masters Limited.

The court directed Tanzanian authorities to immediately stop collecting or enforcing the levy, noting that the dispute raises concerns over possible discriminatory treatment of imported products compared to locally manufactured goods, which may breach East African Community trade rules.