Vehicle shipping · May 25, 2026 · 9 min read

How to Ship a Car from Canada to Kenya

Kenya is a right-hand-drive country and Canadian vehicles are LHD — that's the first thing to settle before anything else. Plus KRA's ~50% combined duty, KEBS pre-shipment inspection requirements, and the 8-year age limit that catches first-time shippers.

⚠ Hard rule: Kenya drives on the left, vehicles are right-hand-drive (RHD). Most Canadian vehicles are left-hand-drive (LHD). KEBS does NOT permit personal-use LHD imports — they are restricted to commercial / special-purpose vehicles (ambulances, fire trucks, certain heavy equipment) with a specific exemption. If your vehicle is LHD, this guide doesn't apply to your situation — contact us first.

Quick answer — assuming you have an eligible RHD vehicle (or are an exempted commercial importer), you can ship a typical SUV from Oakville to Mombasa by container or RoRo — request a quote for current freight pricing. Transit is 30–42 days. KRA-side taxes typically add ~50% of CIF on landed cost.

Why most Canadian cars don't go to Kenya

Kenya is one of about 75 countries that drives on the left — a legacy of British colonial road standards. Kenya's national bureau of standards (KEBS) enforces this strictly for road safety. Their rules:

Personal-use vehicles must be RHD. No exceptions for individual importers.
LHD vehicles are permitted only as commercial / special-purpose imports (ambulances, fire trucks, large commercial trucks, certain heavy machinery) with prior KEBS approval.
Year limit: 8 years from year of first registration (counted from the end of the manufacture year). For 2026 imports, that's 2018 or newer.
Pre-shipment inspection: mandatory KEBS-approved inspection at port of origin before sailing. We arrange this at our Oakville warehouse with QISJ or SGS.

Canadian dealers sell almost entirely LHD vehicles. If you have an RHD car (some classics, certain JDM imports that came to Canada via specialty importers, or commercial RHD trucks), Kenya is in scope. If you have a standard Canadian LHD vehicle, plan a different destination — Tanzania has the same problem, but West Africa (Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal) takes LHD freely.

What you'll pay (freight only)

Vehicle type	Method
Sedan (RHD)	RoRo
Sedan (RHD)	Shared container
SUV (RHD)	RoRo
SUV (RHD)	Shared container
Heavy commercial vehicle / truck	Sole container or RoRo
Two cars	40ft container

Freight only. Kenya-side duty + clearance is separate and usually substantially larger than the freight cost — see below.

Kenya customs duty — the real cost

KRA's combined tax stack on imported used vehicles:

Import duty: 25% of Current Retail Selling Price (CRSP) — KRA uses their own valuation table, not your invoice
Excise duty: 25-35% depending on engine displacement (lower for <1500cc, higher above 2500cc)
VAT: 16% on (CRSP + duty + excise)
Import Declaration Fee (IDF): 2.25% of CIF
Railway Development Levy (RDL): 2% of CIF

How it stacks up on a 2019 Toyota Hilux RHD: KRA applies 25% import duty to the CRSP, then excise duty (around 30% for this engine class), then 16% VAT on the running total of CRSP + duty + excise, and finally IDF + RDL at roughly 4.25% of CIF. Each levy compounds on the ones before it.

Kenya's combined effective rate on used vehicles is among the highest in Africa. Always budget Kenya-side as roughly 80-90% of your vehicle's value when planning a sale or transfer.

KEBS pre-shipment inspection

Mandatory before the vessel sails from Canada. KEBS-accredited inspectors (QISJ, SGS, or Bureau Veritas) verify:

RHD configuration (or commercial exemption)
Vehicle age and condition
VIN, mileage, emissions documentation
No accident-write-off / salvage title (KEBS rejects salvaged vehicles)

We coordinate the inspection at our Oakville warehouse. Without a valid Certificate of Roadworthiness (CoR), the shipment will not clear at Mombasa.

Required paperwork

Canada side:

Vehicle title, in your name, with lien-release if previously financed
Bill of sale (original purchase receipt)
Government photo ID
CBSA B13A export declaration (we file)
KEBS pre-shipment inspection certificate
Pre-departure photos (we take 8-12 condition photos)
House Bill of Lading (we issue)

Kenya side (consignee handles):

Original Bill of Lading (we courier to them)
Kenyan PIN (Personal Identification Number) — required for any customs clearance
National ID or Passport copy
Commercial invoice and certificate of origin
KEBS Certificate of Roadworthiness
Customs clearing agent engagement (KRA-licensed broker — required)

Transit timeline

Day 0 — Pickup at our Oakville warehouse
Day 1–5 — Inspection (KEBS CoR), documentation, loading
Day 5–10 — Drayage to Port of Montreal, vessel loading
Day 10–25 — Atlantic + Mediterranean transit; transshipment at Algeciras or Tangier
Day 25–35 — Suez Canal + East Africa coast to Mombasa
Day 35–45 — Mombasa customs clearance + release

Door-to-door: typically 40 to 55 days.

5 mistakes that cost first-time shippers thousands

1. Trying to ship an LHD vehicle for personal use

The biggest mistake. KEBS rejects LHD passenger vehicles at the inspection stage. If you're already at the port, you'll pay return freight or abandon the cargo. Confirm RHD configuration before booking anything.

2. Ignoring the 8-year age rule

A 2017 vehicle in 2026 is over the limit (counts from year-end of manufacture). Don't budget for a sale based on a 9-year-old vehicle clearing Mombasa — it won't.

3. Under-declaring value to reduce duty

KRA uses CRSP (Current Retail Selling Price) — their own valuation database — not your invoice. Under-declared invoices trigger re-valuation plus penalty. Always declare actual purchase price.

4. No KEBS inspection certificate

Cargo arrives at Mombasa without CoR = no clearance. Daily storage fees accumulate while you sort it out. Inspect before sailing.

5. No consignee PIN ready

Kenyan customs requires a valid PIN. If your consignee doesn't have one registered yet, get it sorted while the cargo is en route — registration is fast but missing it = shipment sits at port.

Ready to ship?

We ship RHD-configured vehicles and commercial equipment to Mombasa regularly. If you're confident your vehicle qualifies and have a Kenyan consignee ready, fill out our quote form.

Get a Vehicle Quote →

Not sure if your vehicle qualifies? Reach out with the VIN and we'll check.