Removals to Kenya from the UK
Shipping to Kenya
Fast Secure Road & Sea
Full and part load
How do removals to Kenya from the UK work?
Removals and shipping to Kenya from the UK go by sea, in a full container or a part load sharing space with other households. We survey, pack and wrap everything, handle the export side here, and a Kenyan agent clears the shipment at Mombasa, where it is inspected before release.
Kenya ties relief to a clock that starts with your paperwork rather than your arrival, which is unusual and is the single most important thing to get right. It is covered in the duty section below.
One coordinator runs the move from survey to delivery, and the inventory built at the survey is what the clearance runs on.
How long do removals to Kenya take?
Your transit time is confirmed in writing on your quote, because it depends on the sailing schedule and whether you book a full container or a part load. A shared container waits until it is full before it sails, so it always takes longer than a container of your own.
The inspection at Mombasa adds a step that a straightforward customs clearance would not, and it applies to every used household shipment rather than to a sample. An accurate inventory is what keeps it short.
Do I pay duty on my belongings going into Kenya?
Used household goods and personal effects can be exempt, but the conditions are specific. For someone arriving on a work permit, published guidance indicates the goods must have been owned and used for at least a year, and must be imported within three months of the work permit being issued.
That three month clock runs from the permit, not from your arrival, which is the detail that catches people out. You also cannot sell or lend the goods during your stay, which is the usual condition attached to this kind of relief.
Returning Kenyan nationals follow a different route under the East African Community customs legislation, generally needing to be over eighteen, to show two years abroad, and to import within three months of arriving.
Two exclusions are worth knowing before you pack: computers are commonly not treated as personal effects and are dutiable, and food, drink and cosmetics never qualify. These conditions come from the Kenyan revenue authority’s own published guidance and mover country guides. Your coordinator confirms the current position with our agent before anything is loaded.
What documents do I need for removals to Kenya?
You will need your passport, your work permit or residency documentation, your personal tax PIN, the transport document, and a detailed inventory with values. Where you are claiming relief as a returning Kenyan, evidence of the two years spent abroad is the document the claim rests on.
You generally need to be in Kenya for the clearance, so a container that lands before you do waits while charges accrue. We plan the sailing around your arrival rather than the other way round.
Every used household shipment is inspected by the standards bureau as well as by customs, so the inventory needs to be itemised and accurate rather than summarised into a handful of lines.
Which Kenyan port will my shipment arrive at?
All household shipments from the UK arrive at Mombasa, which is the main port for the whole of East Africa. From there the inland leg runs up to Nairobi and beyond, and that drive is a substantial part of the journey rather than a short transfer.
Mombasa to Nairobi is roughly five hundred kilometres, so an inland delivery adds real time and cost compared with a coastal one. That is factored into the quote rather than discovered afterwards.
Tell your coordinator the delivery city and the access at the other end, including compound or estate rules, and the routing is planned from that.
Can I send a part load to Kenya?
Yes. A part load means you pay for the space your belongings actually take inside a shared container rather than hiring a whole one, which suits the many people who arrive into furnished accommodation and ship a modest load rather than a full household.
The care is identical. The difference is the schedule, because a shared container sails once it is full, so the date moves with the other households in it.
With a three month window running from your work permit, your coordinator will say plainly whether a shared load fits your dates. There is more on our part load removals page.
Which parts of Kenya do you deliver to?
We deliver across Kenya, including Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, Thika, Malindi, Diani and Naivasha, as well as towns reached by road from those centres. The long inland leg from Mombasa shapes both the cost and the schedule.
Nairobi deliveries are commonly into gated estates or apartment compounds with their own access rules, security procedures and delivery windows, and a crew held at the gate loses most of a day.
Where a full-size lorry cannot reach the property, the final leg transfers to a smaller vehicle, which is planned into the quote rather than appearing as an extra on the day.
What sets the price of shipping to Kenya from the UK?
How much you are sending, whether you book a full container or a part load, how far inland your delivery is from Mombasa, and how much packing you want us to do. The inland leg to Nairobi is a significant part of the total rather than a rounding error.
Sea freight is priced on the space your belongings occupy rather than their weight, which is why the survey beats a phone estimate, and why leaving behind what you do not need saves real money on this route.
We quote in writing with the inclusions listed, and anything excluded says so.
Elsewhere in Africa we run removals to South Africa, East Africa and Morocco, and every route is listed on our Africa destinations page. Sending less than a full household? Part load removals explains shared containers.
Why people trust us with a move
These are not our words. They are our customers, on a review site we do not control.
- 4.6 out of 5 from 110 reviews on Trustpilot, rated Excellent
- Over 10,000 moves completed
- Typically replies within 24 hours, as shown on the Trustpilot profile
- Our own yard and storage at Riverside Industrial Estate, Fazeley, Tamworth
- Members of Approved Movers in the UK, and we only work with overseas agents who are members of BAR or FIDI
- Reviewing since October 2020, and still collecting them every month
From contact to collection everything has been really smooth. All emails were answered promptly. The three guys that came and collected our things were super friendly, helpful and extremely careful with our belongings.
Vanessa, May 2026 – verified Trustpilot review
Removals to Kenya: frequently asked questions
When does the three month clock start?
From the issue of your work permit rather than from your arrival in Kenya, which is the detail most people get wrong. Tell your coordinator the permit date as soon as you have it, because it sets the whole schedule.
Can I bring my computer?
You can ship it, but published guidance indicates computers are commonly not treated as personal effects and are dutiable. Flag any computers at the survey so the position is confirmed rather than discovered at Mombasa.
Will my shipment be opened?
Expect it. Used household goods are inspected by the standards bureau as well as by customs, which is why the inventory has to be itemised and accurate rather than summarised.
Do I need to be in Kenya when my things arrive?
Generally yes, as you need to be present for clearance. A container landing before you do simply waits while storage charges build, so we plan the sailing around your travel.
I am a returning Kenyan. Is it different?
Yes. A separate route applies under the East African Community customs legislation, generally needing proof of two years abroad and import within three months of your arrival. The evidence takes time to gather, so start early.
Can you store my things before they sail?
Yes, at our own yard in Staffordshire. On a Kenyan move that is often the sensible option while the work permit is issued, because the relief window runs from the permit date.
Is my shipment insured?
Cover is arranged against the value you declare, and the level of cover depends on that declaration and the terms in our agreement. Our guide to removals insurance explains it in full.