Investors in the transport sector are set to dig deep into their pockets after the government directive to ban the importation of second-hand vehicles of more than eight years takes shape.
The state issued a warning to traders stating that only motor vehicles not older than eight years would be allowed into the country.
This brought about an uproar from truck transporters who argued that the move by the government to ban the importation of used trucks would make them more expensive and unaffordable.
According to them, the cost per truck would shoot from around Ksh7.5 million currently to over Ksh20 million.
Equally, they stated that the move in lowering the age of imported vehicles from eight years to three is a further attempt by the government to enforce the use of the standard gauge railway to transport cargo, as it will make long-distance trucking more expensive.
Mombasa-based transporters lamented that the move would push away business from the country.
"The new rule by Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) will encourage more companies to shift their base to other East African countries,”
In December 2022, the government issued a directive on the importation of secondhand motor vehicles.
Traders were cautioned that older vehicles would be rejected at the importer’s cost, a directive that would also apply to diplomatic staff.
“We wish to notify all importers of used/secondhand motor vehicles including returning residents, diplomatic staff, and the general public that on the observance of the 8-year-age limit requirement, only Right-Hand Drive (RHD) vehicles whose year of first registration is from January 1, 2015, and later shall be allowed into the country,” read the statement.
The directive further revealed that it would only admit second-hand vehicles whose first year of registration is 2015 or after, effective January 1, 2023.
In November 2022, the government directed that all second-hand vehicles imported from Japan and five other countries must be accompanied by roadworthiness certificates.
In the regulation, it was communicated that all the certificates accompanying the vehicles should have been issued not earlier than 2015.
