Africa-Press – Kenya. Dealers and individuals seeking to import 2018 second-hand cars have up to next week to secure shipment with a window of 43 days to ensure vehicles are in Kenya, lest they are rejected.
This is under the country’s age limit rule for used cars which is capped at eight years.
Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) in a public notice notes that the Certificates of Roadworthiness for vehicles whose year of first registration is 2018 will not be valid after December 31, 2025.
“All vehicles issued with such certificates must arrive at the port of destination or entry by December 31. Any vehicle registered in 2018 or earlier, arriving after 31, December 2025 will be deemed not compliant with KS 1515:2000 and shall be rejected at the importer’s expense,” Kebs managing director, Esther Ngari, said.
KS 1515:2000 is the Kenyan standard that sets the code of practice for inspection of road vehicles, which also established the eight-year rule.
Starting January 1, 2026, only vehicles whose year of first registration is from January 1, 2019 and later shall be allowed into the country, as they fall within the age limit.
The eight-year rule also covers returning residents and diplomatic staff, with only right-hand drive motor vehicles allowed into the country.
Vehicles exported to Kenya shall be expected to comply with the Kenya Code of Practice for Inspection of Road Vehicles while those from countries where Kebs has an inspection agency, that is Japan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Thailand, Singapore and South Africa, which are the key sources, shall be accompanied with a Certificate of Roadworthiness.
This is issued by Quality Inspection Services Inc. Japan (QISJ) which is the inspection company contracted by Kebs.
Kenya imports an average 7,000-9,000 units a month, mainly from Japan (80 per cent). A ship takes approximately 25 to 28 days to travel from Japan to Mombasa, with specific times varying based on the exact route and port.
This estimate is however for the ocean transit and does not include time for pre-shipment and post-shipment processes, which can add several more days.
Car importers have been beating the deadline for the past 10 years, including last year, despite longer shipping time occasioned by disruption in the Red Sea as a result of the Houthi Rebels attacks, which forced shipping lines to re-routing to the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa), before coming up to the East.
This increased transit time between Mombasa and key global ports from an average 24 days to 40 days, with some ships taking even longer as they call at different ports before the final destination.
The last time importers were hit by losses on late imports was in 2014, when more than 2,000 used motor vehicles registered in 2006 were locked out of the country.
Since then, importers have been beating the deadline with no major lockout reported, save for 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic struck.
During the year, more than 18,000 units manufactured in 2013 arrived late as a result of the pandemic’s disruption in the shipping industry. The government allowed clearance of units whose delays were solely as a result of shipping delays.
Car Importers Association of Kenya national chairman Peter Otieno however noted that unlike previous years where importers would make orders and have them arrive on time, voyages nowadays are unpredictable following the global supply chain disruption.
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