Importing Used Machinery from the UK and Europe to Kenya

How do I import used machinery from the UK to Kenya?

Start with the machine, not a percentage on a spreadsheet. Here is the practical route as of October 2026. Give its make, model, year, configuration and proposed tariff code to your Kenyan clearing agent, and send the same details to the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) where conformity or age treatment may apply. Ask both for written answers before you pay a deposit or arrange freight.

Then work in order. Settle the KEBS route and age category first. Ask your agent for the tariff and tax calculation next. Only then arrange the insurance, export documents and shipping plan. One classification can change several later steps. Do not let a seller's category label stand in for a Kenyan answer on the exact unit.

See how our buying process moves from machine brief to seller checks, inspection and export coordination. A condition inspection is separate from KEBS conformity work; see what our machinery inspection covers. Browse the types of used construction machinery we source across the UK and Europe.

What documents do I need to import machinery into Kenya?

Documents are easier when each person knows their job. There are four document decisions to settle before shipment. Here is the position as of October 2026. From 1 November 2026, KRA says an incoming consignment will need a valid digital marine cargo insurance policy from an insurer licensed by the Insurance Regulatory Authority. The certificate will have to pass through the digital system before the customs declaration can be lodged. Ask your Kenyan clearing agent or the Insurance Regulatory Authority how this applies to your policy and route.

KRA also says the importer has had to obtain and retain the export declaration from the country of export since 1 September 2026. Ask your clearing agent which declaration KRA will accept and how it must be kept.

Use the KEBS answer described in the next section to collect the right conformity document before loading.

For a Great Britain sale, HM Revenue & Customs says the seller needs the export and proof within 3 months of the time of supply to zero-rate it. If the buyer arranges export, the seller may take a VAT-sized deposit until the proof arrives. Settle the seller's entity, exporter role, customs identifier, proof process and VAT treatment with the seller and forwarder before payment.

Does used machinery need KEBS inspection before shipping?

The first thing that can stop a Kenyan import is the KEBS classification, so settle it before you pay a deposit. Here is the KEBS position as of October 2026.

KEBS says its appointed conformity provider, QISJ, has a three-year contract from 19 May 2026. It covers pre-shipment conformity work on used motor vehicles, mobile equipment and spare parts, including the United Kingdom. This supports an inspection route for goods within the notice. KEBS or QISJ should confirm that the exact machine and export country fall within the mandate, and give you the current instructions.

The hard part is the phrase “mobile equipment”. It is not settled whether an excavator, backhoe loader, wheel loader or similar used plant is in that category. Send KEBS or QISJ the make, model, configuration and proposed tariff code. Ask for a written classification before you commit to shipment.

For goods within the notice, KEBS says arrival without the required Certificate of Conformity leads to destination inspection at 5% of approved customs value. That consequence only matters if the machine is within the notice, so ask KEBS what action applies. Do not leave this question until the machine reaches the port.

Does Kenya's 8-year rule apply to construction machinery?

Age alone does not answer this question. Here is the KEBS position as of October 2026.

KEBS says KS 1515 bars motor vehicles older than eight years from the year of first registration. Its notice also describes a pre-shipment waiver route for a special-purpose motor vehicle that meets the stated requirements and is no more than 20 years old from the year of manufacture. KEBS should confirm the precise age-counting date, required documents and waiver route before you rely on it.

What remains unsettled is whether a common excavator, loader, backhoe or agricultural machine falls within either category. The notice does not answer that question unit by unit. Send KEBS the exact machine details and ask for a written ruling before purchase or shipment.

A confident generic answer can be more expensive than an honest pause. A machine's year alone cannot tell you which KEBS category will be used. Get the category first, then decide whether the rule affects the purchase.

What import taxes apply to used machinery in Kenya?

Do not start with a generic landed-cost percentage. Here is the tax position as of October 2026.

Under the January 2026 statute, the import declaration fee is 2.5% of customs value for goods entered for home use. The railway development levy is 2% of customs value for goods entered for home use. The exemptions in both provisions do not generally cover used plant. Your clearing agent should confirm any importer- or machine-specific treatment in writing.

The value-added tax (VAT) position needs a version warning. The VAT Act version covering 27 December 2024 to 30 June 2025 sets 16% for taxable imports and describes a base using customs value, plus insurance and freight where not already included, plus customs duty. Your clearing agent needs to check the current consolidated Act and calculate the base for the declaration.

There is no responsible single duty percentage to print for every used machine. The current rate is not settled until your clearing agent or KRA gives you the eight-digit code, ordinary rate and any live Kenya stay in writing.

Customs value is not settled either, including how services connected to the purchase are treated. Ask your clearing agent or KRA for the declared value and every addition for this transaction.

How should I plan shipping and arrival at Mombasa?

Shipping works best after the documents and classification are settled. Here is the arrival position as of October 2026. Put the insurance certificate into the plan before booking freight, using the timing in the documents section above.

The United States Maritime Administration listed one active advisory on Red Sea and Gulf of Aden attacks and one on piracy risk across the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean; the piracy advisory did not name Mombasa. Those notices do not decide a particular sailing, so the carrier and insurer should confirm the live route, security terms and cover.

At the port, free storage depends on status and classification. Under the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) tariff effective 15 September 2025, domestic-import vehicles receive five consecutive free storage days and transit vehicles receive 12, but the tariff does not name excavators or backhoe loaders in a handling band. Ask the port or buyer's agent to confirm the machine's band, status, towing needs and the start of free time.

Cleanliness still needs a written answer. Kenya's Plant Protection Rules define a regulated article broadly enough to include a conveyance, container, soil or another object capable of harbouring or spreading pests, but they do not name machinery. Ask KEPHIS, Kenya's plant-health authority, and the buyer's clearing agent whether the machine needs inspection, treatment or a cleanliness document before loading.

An abnormal or oversize road move may add another decision after the port. The KeNHA roads authority's service charter describes its online Axle Load Exemption Permit route, asks for a logbook, a valid NTSA inspection report from the inspection authority, an insurance certificate and photographs, and gives a two-working-day service standard. Ask the buyer's haulier or KeNHA whether the loaded machine and route need that permit, a route study or an escort.

Uganda-bound cargo is a separate journey, not an extension of the Kenya import answer. The Uganda Revenue Authority says Single Customs Territory goods are declared in Uganda after the manifest reaches the customs platform, taxes are paid while the goods are at the first point of entry and onward movement uses a Single Regional Bond; ask the buyer's Ugandan clearing agent for the live steps. For the route detail, read our guide to shipping used construction machinery to Uganda via Mombasa.

Pre-purchase checklist

This checklist reflects the position as of October 2026:

— Give the exact make, model, year, configuration and proposed tariff code to KEBS and the buyer's clearing agent; get the conformity and age answers in writing before you commit to ship.

— Ask the clearing agent for a written schedule covering the live duty line, VAT base, import declaration fee, railway development levy and customs value.

— Arrange the digital marine cargo insurance so its certificate is in the system before the customs declaration is lodged (required from 1 November 2026).

— Make sure the importer receives and keeps the export declaration KRA requires.

— Agree the seller's exporter role, customs identifier, export proof and VAT or deposit process before payment.

— Ask the port or local agent for the handling band, domestic-import status, towing needs and free-storage clock before arrival.

— Check cleanliness and any KEPHIS requirement in writing before loading; keep clear photographs of the machine.

— If the machine will move as an abnormal or oversize road load, have the haulier check the KeNHA permit route before collection from Mombasa.

Working with a buying agent who already does this

Euro Plant Finder works on the sourcing and export side. We find suitable machinery across the UK and Europe, check the seller, arrange inspection, negotiate for the buyer and coordinate export preparation with the forwarder and the buyer's Kenyan clearing agent. The buyer's own agent makes the declaration and clears the machine in Kenya.

Good buying is mostly about keeping the sequence straight before money moves. Send us the machine type, budget, destination and timing to start a Kenya search.

Sources and last check

This guide was last checked on 25 October 2026 against the official sources below. It is general guidance, not a quotation or legal advice: rates and rules change, so confirm anything that affects your machine with your clearing agent or the authority named.

— Kenya Revenue Authority: marine cargo insurance notice (checked 23 October 2026)

— Kenya Revenue Authority: Finance Act 2026 (checked 23 October 2026)

— Kenya Bureau of Standards: QISJ renewal (May 2026) (checked 23 October 2026)

— Kenya Bureau of Standards: special-purpose vehicles notice (checked 23 October 2026)

— Kenya Law: Miscellaneous Fees and Levies Act as at 1 Jan 2026 (checked 23 October 2026)

— Kenya Law: VAT Act 2013 (version 27 Dec 2024 – 30 Jun 2025) (checked 23 October 2026)

— East African Community: Gazette No. 16 (30 Jun 2026), Legal Notice EAC/160/2026 (checked 23 October 2026)

— Kenya Ports Authority: KPA tariff (checked 23 October 2026)

— United States Maritime Administration: MARAD list (checked 23 October 2026); advisory 2026-013 (checked 7 October 2026); advisory 2026-010 (checked 7 October 2026)

— HM Revenue & Customs: Notice 703 (checked 23 October 2026)

— Kenya Law: Plant Protection Rules LN 108/2009 (checked 7 October 2026)

— KeNHA: service charter (checked 23 October 2026)

— Uganda Revenue Authority: SCT (checked 7 October 2026)