The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has issued a fresh directive aimed at tightening the importation process of used motor vehicles into the country.
In a notice dated July 8, 2025, KEBS Managing Director Esther Ngari said the new measure targets vehicles imported without a Certificate of Roadworthiness (CoR), a mandatory requirement for all used cars entering Kenya.
Ngari urged importers, traders, and vehicle dealers to validate key importation documents — including logbooks, export certificates, and deregistration certificates — using reliable and authorized databases.
“This will help prevent cases of importation of motor vehicles with forged or fraudulently acquired documents,” the notice stated.
To facilitate this process, KEBS has appointed Quality Inspection Services Inc. Japan (QISJ) to handle document validation for used vehicles subject to destination inspection, specifically for the purpose of verifying age limits.
Importers will be required to pay a validation fee of Sh12,000 per vehicle, which will be processed through QISJ’s local offices. According to KEBS, the validation service will take up to four working days.
Ngari further noted that any importer bringing in a used vehicle without a CoR must submit a copy of the logbook, export certificate, or deregistration certificate from the country of last registration to the nearest QISJ office for validation.
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