How to import from China to Kenya

What you can import

Most goods can be imported into Kenya: clothing, shoes, bags, phone accessories, small electronics, kitchenware, home goods, furniture, lighting, solar accessories, tools, auto spare parts, beauty products and packaging.

What matters most is whether your product is regulated, because many everyday products are.

• KEBS PVoC: products covered by Kenyan standards (electrical goods, toys, textiles, building materials, auto parts, cosmetics and many more) need a Certificate of Conformity from an inspection company appointed by the Kenya Bureau of Standards. New PVoC contracts started in February 2026, and shipments from 1 March 2026 must travel with a CoC.
• Phones, routers and other radio equipment need type approval from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA).
• Medicines and some health products are regulated by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, and plant products and wooden packaging by KEPHIS.
• Used undergarments, counterfeit goods, weapons and some plastics are restricted or banned. Check with your customs authority for regulated goods.

Customs duty, VAT and levies in Kenya in 2026

Customs is run by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) under the East African Community Customs Management Act. The EAC Common External Tariff has bands of 0% for raw materials, 10% for intermediate goods and 25% to 35% for most finished consumer goods, applied to the CIF value (goods plus freight and insurance to Kenya). Some goods also pay excise duty.

VAT is 16%, charged on the CIF value plus duty and excise. Two levies are added: the Import Declaration Fee (IDF) and the Railway Development Levy (RDL), each a few percent of the customs value. Their rates and exemptions were changed by recent Finance Acts, so confirm the current figures with KRA.

Low-value parcels: small consignments may get simplified clearance, but goods imported to resell are dutiable and taxed. Plan on duty, VAT and levies for any wholesale order.

• Clearing goods in your own name needs a KRA PIN and a licensed customs agent who lodges the entry on KRA's customs system.
• Customs asks for the commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading or air waybill and the KEBS Certificate of Conformity where required.
• Regulated goods arriving without a CoC go to destination inspection, which costs extra and delays release, or may be rejected.

How DDP delivery removes the hassle

DDP means delivered duty paid. When you order on soorce, the price at checkout includes freight from China, clearance through Kenyan customs, the duty, VAT and import levies. Our logistics partner handles the entry and delivers to your door, so you do not need your own clearing agent at Mombasa or JKIA, and there is no surprise bill to release the goods.

We check the supplier and inspect the order in China before it ships, so what reaches customs is what you paid for. If your product falls under a KEBS standard or needs CA type approval, those rules still apply. Ask us before you order a regulated product, because the certificate of conformity has to be arranged before shipment.

Air or sea freight: which one pays off

Air freight is billed per kilo, and light but bulky cartons are billed on their volume (length × width × height in cm ÷ 6,000). It suits phone accessories, fashion, beauty products, small electronics and samples, and anything you need on the shelf quickly.

Sea freight through Mombasa is much cheaper per kilo but takes several weeks door to door, and sea lines usually bill from a minimum weight. It pays off for heavy or bulky goods with a modest value per kilo: furniture, kitchenware, tools, tiles, plastic housewares and packaging, once the order meets the minimum.

The box below shows soorce's current door-to-door rates to Kenya, duties and VAT included, for a few sample weights.

Worked example: 200 handbags to Nairobi

Say you order 200 women's handbags at $6 each, $1,200 of goods. Packed in cartons they weigh about 80 kg. The table prices this order with today's door-to-door rates by air and by sea, with Kenyan duty, VAT and levies already included in the shipping line.

Divide the delivered total by 200 to get your landed cost per bag and compare it with local wholesale prices. The final weight is confirmed once the goods are packed in China, so the figure can change slightly.

How to order on soorce, step by step

1. Search or browse factory products and open a product page to see the price per piece, the minimum quantity and the delivered price to Kenya.
2. Add the quantities you need to your cart. Orders start from 100 pieces or $1,000; a smaller order can be sent as a request and our team will tell you whether it can go ahead.
3. At checkout choose air or sea, enter your delivery address in Kenya and pay securely online at checkout. Prices are in US dollars.
4. We confirm the order with the factory, check the supplier and inspect the goods before they leave China, and send you photos if anything is wrong.
5. The shipment is cleared through Kenyan customs with duty, VAT and levies paid and delivered to your door. You can follow every stage from your account.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Shipping regulated products without a KEBS Certificate of Conformity and paying for destination inspection.
• Forgetting the IDF and RDL when working out landed cost.
• Comparing the factory price with local prices without adding freight, duty of up to 35% and 16% VAT.
• Sending bulky, light goods by air and paying for volume instead of weight.
• Buying counterfeit branded goods: they are seized and destroyed.

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Verwandte Seiten

• Versand mit soorce, Lieferland Kenya
• Versandkosten für alle Länder
• So funktioniert soorce, von der Bestellung bis zur Lieferung
• Bags ansehen
• Phone accessories ansehen
• Home and kitchen ansehen
• Clothing ansehen