Editor's Review
The Tourism Regulatory Authority (TRA) has announced a national classification exercise for hotels and other accommodation and catering establishments across three regions.
The Tourism Regulatory Authority (TRA) has announced a national classification exercise for hotels and other accommodation and catering establishments across Nairobi and Kiambu, South Rift, and Central/Mount Kenya regions, starting October 26.
In a notice on Wednesday, October 14, the Authority said the exercise will run until February 15, 2027, targeting owners, directors, general managers and operations managers of pre-qualified accommodation and catering enterprises that have received Gold and Silver awards.
According to TRA, the classification exercise will begin in Nairobi and Kiambu counties on October 26 and run until December 4, 2026.
The South Rift region, covering Nakuru and Baringo counties, will follow from December 6 to December 18, 2026.
The final phase will cover Central and Mount Kenya counties from January 11 to February 15, 2027.
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Explaining the legal framework guiding the exercise, TRA said it was mandated to conduct the assessments under Kenyan law and regional classification standards.
"The National Classification Exercise is implemented by the Tourism Regulatory Authority, pursuant to the Tourism Act, Cap. 381 of the Laws of Kenya and the East African Community (EAC) Classification System," the notice read.
TRA noted that the exercise would assess hospitality establishments against approved quality standards, with the aim of improving service delivery and strengthening Kenya's competitiveness in the tourism industry.
"The exercise involves the assessment, classification, and grading of accommodation and catering establishments against the EAC approved quality standards criteria.
"The objective is to enhance service quality, strengthen the competitiveness of Kenya's hospitality sector, and promote consumer confidence by ensuring consistency, professionalism, and adherence to recognized regional and international standards," the notice added.
TRA also directed managers of tourism enterprises to complete the required online pre-qualification process before the exercise begins.
"Tourism enterprise managers are therefore requested to complete and submit the online pre-qualification form before the commencement of the classification exercise," the notice further read.
TRA advised affected establishments to review the classification guidelines and complete the necessary requirements.
The guidelines are available through the TRA Classification link: https://tinyurl.com/4srcxj2s.
Elsewhere, the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has issued a notice to importers and clearing agents ahead of the implementation of Phase 2 of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Import Certificate requirement through the National Electronic Single Window System (NESWIS).
In a notice on Wednesday, October 14, the Authority said the new requirements will take effect on October 30, 2026, and will require all importers to register as producers under the EPR framework and obtain an EPR Import Certificate.
Under Phase 2, the certificate requirement will move from the current pre-clearance stage to the customs clearance and declaration stage.
The adjustment is intended to facilitate the implementation of the requirement through the electronic system.
NEMA also announced a temporary suspension of the EPR Import Certificate service on October 29, 2026, to allow for the transition to the new system.
The service will be unavailable from 5 pm to 11:59 pm on Thursday, October 29, ahead of the planned go-live date the following day.
In its notice, NEMA advised importers and their clearing agents to complete pending applications before the system transition to avoid disruptions.
"Importers and their clearing agents are advised to complete all pending pre-clearance applications before the scheduled transition," the notice read.
