Kenya Import Landed Cost & Margin Planner

Define the shipment and unit

Freeze the cost boundary

Before entering numbers, name the product, SKU, model, currency, origin, supplier quote date, quantity ordered, expected usable quantity and intended selling unit. Decide what “landed at warehouse” includes for this analysis: supplier goods, freight, insurance, confirmed customs taxes/levies, clearance/port/storage and delivery to your chosen location. List excluded costs such as financing, marketing, rent or buyer delivery so they are not mistaken for zero.

For costs allocated across a shipment, use one denominator: expected saleable units after documented damage/rejection allowance. The updated workbook has one shared saleable-units input at D5, carried through the cost lines. Do not independently type different denominators on each row; that creates incomparable unit costs. Change an applicability input to Yes or No only after confirming it, and complete the amount for every included line.

A blank cost means unknown or not yet entered. Do not treat it as zero. “No” means the line was checked and does not apply to this shipment. Keep quote, source, date, currency, owner and assumption in the evidence columns.

Confirm classification and compliance inputs

Do not infer a rate from another shipment

Give a licensed clearing agent the precise goods description, material, function, model, origin and provisional HS code. Request a written estimate of duty, taxes, levies, fees and any product-regulator steps, with the quotation date and exclusions. Cross-check the product procedure using the Kenya Trade Portal and current KRA/KEBS information. Tax rates and exemptions depend on classification, origin, product and current law; this planner includes no default rates.

For PVoC, refer to current KEBS Version 15 (dated 19 February 2026) and verify the actual product's scope, route and certificate requirement. For applicable containerised cargo destined for Kenya ports, check ACD responsibility before loading; KRA's 14 July 2026 notice announced implementation from 3 August 2026 and specifies the supporting shipping documents. Ask your carrier/agent to confirm whether the shipment is in scope.

If consolidated, KRA's notice published 28 October 2026 says accurate individual importer and item information is required, effective 13 September 2026. Include name, PIN, identity number, phone, item description and item value in the written handoff to the consolidator; verify the declaration is complete.

Research used in this guide

1. How to import — Kenya Revenue Authority
2. Finance Act 2026: What It Means For You — Kenya Revenue Authority
3. Advance Cargo Declaration (ACD) Platform for Containerized Cargo — Kenya Revenue Authority
4. Declaration of Importer Details for Consolidated Cargo & Issuance of Electronic Tax Invoices — Kenya Revenue Authority
5. How to use the Single Window System and National E-Payment Portal — Kenya Trade Network Agency
6. Kenya Trade Portal: Trade in Goods — State Department for Trade
7. PVoC Program Operations Manual, Version 15 — Kenya Bureau of Standards