Tomorrow, December 31st 2022, is the last day imported vehicles older than 7 years will be allowed into the country. The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) had earlier announced that it will not admit in the country second-hand vehicles whose first year of registration is 2015 or before, effective January 1, 2023.

The move represents the implementation of the National Automotive Policy aimed at supporting locally assembled and manufactured vehicles.

“These standards will help organisations recognise the opportunities and threats that arise from both sudden or  gradual internal as well as external changes and react to them as has been the case with COVID-19 pandemic,”  says Lt Col (Rtd.) Bernard Njiraini, Managing Director, KEBS. 

“We anticipate that the new single window system will eradicate the past operational inefficiencies associated with trade documentation and approval processes. This will enhance customs efficiency and boost national competitiveness in the import-export market through simplified cross border trade processing,” says Lt Col (Rtd) Bernard Njiraini, Managing Director, KEBS.

The regulator said it had received numerous complaints from the importers prompting it to reevaluate its position on the matter

The Kenya Standard, KS 2914:2020 was developed to address environmental challenges as well as embrace the newer technologies like those based on solid-state lighting and commonly referred to as Light Emitting Diodes