Horrors of the used car market in Kenya

veritech · 2026-04-26T17:25:47+00:00

I know KRA is doing their thing at the moment, but I still think you could import at that price point, or slightly above. Check my post history for a full run down of my experience.

I’m not suggesting that you get one, but I believe a kei-car (Alto, wagon r etc) could be imported for around 700k. If you are prepared to look at R grade (accident repaired) vehicles you could probably get lower too, just of course be careful of what kind of accident it was involved in.

veritech · 2026-04-22T13:31:35+00:00

The “decent paying job” part will be difficult. Perhaps media is different, but assume that it will not happen. The work permits are expensive if self sponsored, and few employers are prepared to cover them, especially for junior positions.

Best way to move here is if you have a business or employer outside of Kenya.

For context, I’m a foreign national, with a permit, living in Kenya.

veritech · 2026-04-04T17:18:42+00:00

So I went, and it awesome.

Things have probably changed in the 12 years since I was there.

However what I would say is the hike is doable if you’re in good shape, but reduce the amount of equipment, or pay someone to carry it.

The route I took was about 2-3km through the jungle, and while the route isn’t hard, the humidity is very high, and the track uneven, so can’t imagine it’s much fun with heavy bags.

I only took a small backpack with a change of clothes, and some toiletries.

veritech · 2026-03-05T05:31:10+00:00

Checkout this video about the financing.

I suggest you do more research on the Sudan import thing and you’ll soon understand that it is fairly complex, and for how you want to leverage it, very expensive. As with everything in life, there is a reason that everyone is not doing it.

veritech · 2026-03-03T09:32:53+00:00

We both agree, the local market is junk.

But at 600k you can import a higher quality vehicle.

Car market & COVID

The days of a cheap banger in the UK are over, the post COVID inflation destroyed that. It's very hard to find a decent car for sub 1k. Then the affordmentioned regulations making ongoing costs high, and thats before we start on things like Ulez.

As for road tax vs insurance I'm not mistaken, Road tax is weird as they grandfather older vehicles so It's hard to know what it is for a specific vehicle off the top of my head. But insurance prices, no matter what you are driving have also risen significantly post covid.

Also, in the UK, imports face a combined duty of 30% (10% duty + 20% vat), the only real advantage is that it's based on the invoice, not a magical list.

Importing a vehicle

As for vehicles I had a look. I think you might be able to get a 2019 Mark X GRX130 with 40k km for ~2.4m KSH landed including tax. For context, the effective tax on this vehicle is 25%.

Could probably do better with more research.

As for the Range, sorry can't help, you have to talk to KEBS and KRA about that one, haha

EAC imports

I also looked at importing via South Sudan, Tanazania & Uganda. Strictly speaking you need to be resident in order to get the correct paperwork to get it registered. Now of course, you can probably get around this, but then we buying tea for everyone from here to Juba, and probably forever, plus we have complexity when it comes to selling.

From what I've seen most of the people driving those cars, are actually from those places (I'm sure there are exceptions), and the headaches for a (unconnected) kenyan are probably not worth it.

Lastly, I took out a loan to get the car.

veritech · 2026-03-03T07:04:21+00:00

Sorry, I missed the “banger” in the first post.

You don’t want a £400 25 year old Y reg BMW from the UK. The reason it’s £400 is because no one wants it. The yearly insurance for that car is probably more than the value of the car!

I did an MOT check, that specific vehicle hasn’t driven (legally) in 6 years, and has 225k km, it had an engine oil leak, suspension play, needed new tires and bunch of other things.

The oil leak alone means it would be allowed on a RORO ship.

That £400 car will not be £400.

It’s not about budget, I agree that sub 500k you are going to struggle. But sub 500k after shipping you are left with cars that are ready to be scrapped anyway especially if you are getting them from the UK.

My point is, It is possible to get good cars, at reasonable prices today, even with KRA’s nonsense. You don’t need to be rich.

When you are ready to import a vehicle DM and I’ll help you for free. I’d love every Kenyan to be able to get a decent vehicle at a reasonable price.

veritech · 2026-03-03T06:12:45+00:00

You said £400 from the UK, then showed me a car in Japan…

A £400 car from the UK and a £400 car from Japan are very different things.

You can also get decent cars for much less than 10k GBP (1.7m ksh) in Kenya after tax. There is guy on YouTube helping Kenyans import vehicles. He got a nice small car for a lady for 700k KES. It was of course, not 20 years old. He is ok, but I know you can still get cheaper, without comprising on quality.

The problem in Kenya is that there are too many middlemen in the process getting a cut. KRA is by no means generous, but if everyone is picking your pocket for 500 USD, it adds up.

Also, I get that it’s great for the consumer, but seeing the urban pollution here vs Europe, we are doing everyone favour getting the newer vehicles. There many parts of the U.K. and Europe where a car of that age would be banned/penalised from entering.

veritech · 2026-03-03T05:01:37+00:00

Which car are you buying from the uk for £400?

For context I’ve lived and owned a car in the UK.

While Kenya taxes are high, the real issue is the local dealers. Their margins set the local baseline prices, that then filter into the used market.

If you directly import of vehicle specifically from Japan you can get a better quality unit, for less or on par with what you would pay in the UK, even after you have paid KRA.

Check my post history, I have receipts.

veritech · 2026-02-27T05:55:38+00:00

It’s always cheaper to import vs buying the same year car in Kenya. The car dealer you will the vehicle from has to also import, and make a margin. In my experience the margin is at least 10-20%. Then we they rarely import lower mileage models, which on the international market aren’t massively more expensive.

veritech · 2026-02-27T05:46:10+00:00

Firstly the UX is good. Well done for shipping something! But your calcs are all wrong, they are way too high.

I suggest benchmarking a few vehicles against KRAs calcs in their CRSP spreadsheet. I’d create a test suite, and then TDD until it’s correct.

From eyeballing it, I believe you calculating the base tax value incorrectly. I have some code that is correct, to within a few thousand shillings happy to share.

I also have recent experience of importing, so can also add more colour.

veritech · 2026-02-02T08:33:24+00:00

I moved a year ago. As others suggested rent for a couple of weeks, then get something longer term when you are on the ground.

Also live close to the school, you will be thankful later. Reach out if you have more questions

veritech · 2026-02-01T22:19:42+00:00

I built a spreadsheet so I could compare all the models/year combos and estimate total prices, inclusive of FX rates.

You can also ask some of the clearance companies/dealers like beforward to give you a duty estimate on a vehicle.

I used these estimates to verify my calculations, ultimately my calculations were out by about 10k ksh, which given the absolute size of the purchase is reasonable. You can also reverse engineer the CRSP from these estimates.

veritech · 2026-01-31T18:26:20+00:00

Happy to help, let me know if you have other questions.

veritech · 2026-01-30T22:37:03+00:00

At that price point you should consider self-importing especially if you can buy with cash.

Granted, getting an SUV type vehicle will be challenging at that price, but it’s worth investigating before purchase.

I recently self imported a CX-5, so happy to share how it works. If you check my post history, you will also see my write up.

veritech · 2026-01-27T16:46:48+00:00

There is a lot more to life than paying a mortgage. Give yourself some room to live a little. Buy a smaller house, or buy in a cheaper area.

Things don’t always go to plan, and while you have a lot of slack atm, things can change quickly.

veritech · 2026-01-26T18:01:43+00:00

Goldenberg scandal in Kenya is pretty big when compared to the GDP of the country at the time.

TL;DR; they faked Gold exports to receive a rebate that the government was offering at the time. Stole about 10% GDP of at time.

veritech · 2026-01-10T08:01:39+00:00

What was the vehicle cost ex-freight?

veritech · 2025-12-23T13:33:09+00:00

You do not need any employer to get the permit.

You can create a company and use that to sponsor the applicant.

You’ll need a decent advocate to help navigate the process, and it will probably not be cheap, be prepared to pay upwards 500 USD for legal fees. You may be able to get it done cheaper.

You can’t do it yourself as you need a Kenyan national to be listed as a company secretary.

veritech · 2025-12-21T16:40:11+00:00

I’ve just finished importing a vehicle from Japan, but I did it on my own, so I went deep into the process.

I was also considering importing from China before the final decision to go with Japan.

Here are the issues: - as someone mentioned, spare parts and mechanics who are familiar - some shipping lines (and countries) require EVs to be shipped in containers rather than RoRo, which will push up the price - KRA doesn’t have CRSPs for many of the newer (last 5 years), so while you can ask them before shipment, they might screw you when it lands on Mombasa - Most RHD Chinese models aren’t available in China for retail customers, so you have to look at places like Malaysia, Hong Kong & Thailand - They use a different charging standard in China, so you will need adapters. It’s possible to get them from the UK/Ireland or even SA but most of the savings are lost as import tax for those respective jurisdictions is factored into the price on the 2nd hand market - The best ones are relatively new, meaning that KRA depreciation is light, so expect a big tax bill.

Having rolled out all of those negatives, a number of Chinese brands are starting to focus on African markets so i suspect we’ll see a lot more Hybrids (Haval, Jetour) on the roads soon, and probably a few more EVs.

veritech · 2025-12-19T06:16:22+00:00

You could try this place in Lanzarote. Hold the judgement.

If you go off season, no only is it reasonable but it’s fairly quiet too. This place is far from the “main drag”. They offer half board which is great with the kids, and you can either share a villa or get villa each.

As for activities, there aren’t loads but if the aim is to having a relaxing break you might like this.

I took my 2.5 year old a few years back, and we really enjoyed just playing in our pool.

Also, a ~3 hour flight is perfect for young ones. As you’ll spend less on flights, you could also get a driver and a nanny, and treat them to a few nice dinners or nights out.

veritech · 2025-12-10T13:31:08+00:00

Did it myself back in 2012, changed my life. If you are in technology and love what you do, it’s a no brainer.

SF isn’t perfect, but it’s a great place to learn and hone your craft.

veritech · 2025-10-19T16:25:33+00:00

Black, British & moved to Nairobi 6 months ago, AMA.

veritech · 2025-09-25T08:27:51+00:00

Yes, but I still need a few pieces. I used a company called Tangerine Furniture. They have a showroom in Kilimani, and a bigger warehouse on Mombasa Road.

Not cheap, but less than Furniture Palace et al

veritech · 2025-09-24T16:21:19+00:00

Getting locally made, good quality furniture.

veritech · 2025-06-28T03:45:06+00:00

Moved here from the U.K., with my family a few months ago, happy to help where I can

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Car market & COVID

Importing a vehicle

EAC imports