How to import a car to Kenya in 2026: the rules, the steps and the real costs

Most cars on Kenyan roads — and almost every car on Uber and Bolt — arrived as used imports, mostly from Japan. Importing one yourself can save money over buying locally, if you get the rules right. Get one wrong and the car is turned back at Mombasa at your cost.

Rule 1: the car must be new enough

KEBS only lets in right-hand-drive used vehicles registered within a fixed window. From 1 January 2026, that means cars whose year of first registration is 2019 or later, under clause 5.1 of the Kenya Standard KS 1515. KEBS warned that a 2018 car arriving after 31 December 2025 is non-compliant and rejected at the importer's expense. The window moves every January: in 2027, expect 2020 or later.

Rule 2: right-hand drive only. Left-hand-drive cars are not admitted as ordinary used imports.

Rule 3: inspection before it ships

Every used vehicle has to pass a pre-shipment inspection by KEBS's appointed contractor, Quality Inspection Services Inc. Japan (QISJ), which covers vehicles from Japan, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Thailand, Singapore and South Africa. QISJ checks the car against KS 1515, verifies the odometer, tests cars from Japan and the UAE for radiation contamination, and issues a Certificate of Roadworthiness.

• A car from a country without a KEBS contractor is inspected on arrival instead, for a fee of 0.6% of its customs value (minimum USD 300, maximum USD 3,500).
• A car that has been salvaged or converted needs a certificate of repair and a chassis alignment report before inspection.
• A car that fails gets a non-conformity report and may not be shipped to Kenya.

Step by step

1. Choose the car — and check its duty first. KRA charges duty on its own retail price for the model (the CRSP), not on what you paid at auction. Look the model up in the import duty calculator before you bid.
2. Buy it and arrange the QISJ inspection in the exporting country. No Certificate of Roadworthiness, no shipping.
3. Ship it to Mombasa. Your exporter gives you the bill of lading, invoice and the export certificate (the cancelled foreign registration).
4. Clear it at the port. A licensed clearing agent lodges the import declaration with KRA, you pay the duty, and KPA releases the car once port charges are paid.
5. Register it with NTSA. The car gets Kenyan number plates and an e-logbook in your eCitizen account — paper logbooks ended in June 2026.

What it costs

KRA's duty is the biggest single item after the car. On a 2020 Toyota Axio it is about KSh 573,000; on a 2020 Mazda CX-30 diesel over KSh 1.1 million. Many online calculators still use rates from before 2025 and come out far too low — here is why.

Importing for Uber or Bolt?

A car is only worth importing for ride-hailing if it can work for years after it lands. In 2026 Uber Chapchap takes cars up to 10 years old, so a 2019 import has until the end of 2029. Check the vehicle requirements and the best cars on running cost before you choose.