Vehicle sourcing
We hunt Japanese auction halls, UK dealer stock and Gulf yards for the exact spec you asked for — and read the auction sheet properly so grade R and accident-repaired units never reach you.
More on sourcing
Sourcing from Japan · UK · Singapore · UAE · Thailand · South Africa
Import your dream car.
Import your dream car.
We handle everything else.
Ke Concierge buys, inspects, ships and clears vehicles into Kenya on your behalf. You pick the car and the budget — we run the auction bid, the pre-shipment inspection, the ocean freight, the KRA duty and the Mombasa clearance, then hand you the keys and the logbook.
KEBS-compliant inspection
Full KRA documentation
Delivery countrywide
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Year maximum vehicle age
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Source markets we buy from
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Typical door-to-door ceiling
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Paperwork handled for you
What we do
One partner for the whole import
Most people lose money at the joins — between the seller, the shipper and the clearing agent. We own all three, so nothing falls through the cracks.
Pre-shipment inspection
Every used unit must pass inspection in the country of export before loading. We book it, chase it, and make sure the original Certificate of Roadworthiness travels with the vehicle.
Inspection rules
Shipping & marine cover
RoRo or container, whichever suits the unit and your budget. Booked on scheduled sailings to Mombasa, with marine insurance arranged so a knock at sea is not your problem.
Shipping options
Mombasa port clearance
Our clearing agent lodges the entry, presents the originals, settles port handling and gets the unit released — before demurrage and customs warehouse charges start biting.
Clearing steps
Duty & KRA compliance
Import duty, excise, VAT, IDF and the railway levy computed off the correct customs value — then paid, filed and receipted. You see the arithmetic before anyone spends a shilling.
Estimate your duty
Registration & delivery
NTSA registration, number plates and logbook in your name, then delivery to Nairobi or any county you name. Financing introductions available if you would rather not pay cash.
Delivery & finance
Why Ke Concierge
Buying blind from 12,000 km away is the risk. We remove it.
The horror stories are always the same: a car that looked immaculate online, an auction grade nobody translated, a bill of lading that arrived late, and a demurrage bill that ate the savings. Every one of those is preventable.
- One landed-cost figure up front. Purchase price, freight, duty, port charges and our fee — itemised before you commit, not discovered later.
- Auction sheets read line by line. Grade, repair history, rust score and odometer verification — translated into plain English before you bid.
- Documents chased, not assumed. Originals of the inspection certificate, both copies of the bill of lading and the export certificate tracked from issue to the agent's desk.
- Clearance timed to the vessel. Entries lodged early so your unit moves off the yard before customs warehouse charges accrue.
- One person on WhatsApp. Not a call centre. You get photos from the yard, the sailing schedule and the clearance receipts as they happen.
Nothing hidden
Itemised quote before any deposit
The journey
From your shortlist to your driveway
Seven stages, each with a document you can hold and a cost you already knew about.
1
Consultation & budget
We agree the model, year, mileage ceiling and the total you are willing to land the car for. If the numbers do not work, we say so on day one rather than after a deposit.
2
Sourcing & verification
We shortlist live stock, translate the auction sheet, verify the chassis number and confirm the vehicle sits inside the 8-year age rule before anybody bids.
3
Purchase & pre-shipment inspection
The unit is bought in your name, then presented for mandatory inspection in the country of export. The Certificate of Roadworthiness is issued and the original secured.
4
Loading & ocean freight
Booked onto a scheduled sailing to Mombasa, RoRo or container. You get the vessel name, the bill of lading and an honest ETA — usually 25 to 30 days from Japan.
5
Documents to the clearing agent
Original inspection certificate, original 1st and 2nd copies of the bill of lading, original certificate of export and the commercial invoice — plus your ID and KRA PIN copies.
6
Duty, port charges & release
Customs duties and levies, port handling, agent fees and any customs warehouse charges are settled. The unit is released from the port and moved out of the yard.
7
Registration & handover
NTSA registration, number plates and the logbook issued in your name. We deliver to Nairobi or drive it to your county, cleaned and fuelled.
Kenya import rules
Two rules decide whether your car ever lands
Get these wrong and the unit is refused at the port — or shipped back at your cost. We check both before a single shilling moves.
The 8-year rule
The vehicle must not be more than 8 years old from the date of first registration. Model year on the brochure is irrelevant — first registration is what counts.
Pre-shipment inspection
The unit must undergo pre-shipment inspection and be issued a certificate before loading. No original certificate, no clearance at Mombasa.
Is your car still eligible?
Enter the year of first registration and we will check it against the 8-year rule.
Enter the year of first registration printed on the vehicle logbook or export certificate.
Client stories
What importing with us feels like
Straight talk from people who let us handle the paperwork instead of learning it the hard way.
Questions
The things everyone asks first
Straight answers on age limits, inspection, documents and money.
The vehicle must not be more than 8 years old counted from the date of first registration. Registration date is what matters — a car built in 2017 but first registered in 2018 is judged on 2018.
Practically, in 2026 the oldest unit normally accepted is one first registered eight years earlier. We verify this against the export certificate before any deposit is paid.
Yes. Every used vehicle must undergo pre-shipment inspection in the country of export and be issued with a certificate before it is loaded onto the vessel. The inspection covers roadworthiness, mileage verification and compliance with Kenyan standards. Without the original certificate the unit cannot be cleared at Mombasa.
On arrival at the port of discharge the following must be presented for clearance:
- Original inspection certificate
- Original 1st and 2nd copies of the bill of lading
- Original certificate of export
- Commercial invoice
The consignee must also furnish the clearing agent with copies of their national ID and KRA PIN.
Four categories fall due before release:
- Customs duties and levies — import duty, excise, VAT, IDF and the railway development levy
- Port handling charges
- Clearing agent fees
- Customs warehouse charges, if any have accrued
The last one is avoidable. It only appears when documents arrive late or entries are lodged slowly, which is exactly what we are paid to prevent.
Budget 30 to 45 days door to door for a typical import. Sourcing and inspection take about a week, the ocean leg from Japan to Mombasa runs 25 to 30 days, and clearing plus registration adds a few days once the vessel berths. Sailings from the UK and the Gulf can be shorter or longer depending on the schedule.
Absolutely. Send us the listing link or the chassis number. We will verify the seller is genuine, read the auction sheet, confirm the unit passes the 8-year rule, quote the full landed cost, and run the import from there. Plenty of our clients come to us at exactly this point.
Tell us the car. We will tell you the true cost.
A free, itemised landed-cost quote — purchase, freight, duty, port charges and our fee — usually back with you the same day.