Straight answers before you hire a clearing agent in Kenya

Usually, yes. The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) import requirements page says an importer needs a licensed customs clearing agent to process the import documents and clear the goods. Its customs agents page allows two routes without one: postal and courier parcels, cleared through Posta Kenya or a courier; and non-commercial goods for personal use, with help from customs officers. For a commercial container, plan on a licensed agent.

A clearing agent gets your goods through customs. KRA lists the tasks: working out the duties and taxes due, preparing the import documents and submitting them to customs for you and liaising with other government agencies. The agent lodges the entry in iCMS (KRA's customs system), and you pay the duties through official channels before customs releases the goods. A freight forwarder arranges transport between countries. ADL does both; see clearing and forwarding.

Ask the agent for this year's customs agent licence (form C21). KRA licenses agents for one year at a time, and every licence expires on 31 December. To renew, an agent must give KRA its previous C21 and a current clearance certificate from KIFWA, the Kenya International Freight & Warehousing Association. Check the dates on both.

There is no fixed time. In 2025 an import container spent an average of 106.7 hours in the port of Mombasa, from offloading to leaving the gates; from January to June 2026 the average was 105 hours. Documents, inspection, payment and how soon a truck collects all move that number. Be wary of any agent who promises a clearance time.

They are two clocks run by two parties. Under its 2025 tariff, Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) gives domestic import containers 5 free storage days and transit imports 15, then charges storage by the day. Demurrage and detention are the shipping line's charges for keeping its container past the line's free time. Ask for both end dates once the ship's arrival is confirmed.

Several parties charge, each paid separately. KRA collects import duty and taxes, plus levies such as the Import Declaration Fee and the Railway Development Levy. KPA charges port fees and, after the free days, storage. The shipping line charges demurrage and detention if its container is kept too long. Some goods pay inspection fees. Then come the agent's fee and transport. ADL explains what each cost covers.

Your request goes to ADL's inbox, and a copy of what you sent arrives in your own email. Placeholder: who replies and how quickly, Q-14, Q-15. Need to speak to someone about a consignment already on the road? Call us during office hours on +254 734 330 860 or +254 727 563 881.

By email. Email us any time at info@accordke.co.ke. To talk to someone, call us during office hours on +254 734 330 860 or +254 727 563 881.

Call us during office hours on +254 734 330 860 or +254 727 563 881. Every ADL truck carries a tracking device, and the transport office keeps track of consignments, so whoever answers can tell you where your cargo is. This site has no online tracking page. ADL's tracking device is its own, and a separate thing from KRA's electronic cargo seal (RECTS).

Yes. ADL explains the clearing and forwarding process and what each cost covers, and gives clients a printout of the required information at no cost. Placeholder: when ADL gives the printout, Q-31. To see which documents you already hold, use the documents checklist.

The quote form asks whether a request is for a company or for yourself, and both reach the same ADL inbox. Placeholder: ADL confirms it quotes for individuals and for which cargo, Q-84. Not sure your shipment fits? Send the request anyway and say so.

Placeholder: how clients pay ADL's invoices, Q-33. Duties and taxes are a separate payment to the government. KRA says customs duties are paid at its appointed banks or by mobile banking against an electronic payment slip. Mobile money tax payments go only to the Government PayBill number 222222. Never pay duty into a personal number, whoever asks.