The Agriculture & Food Authority (AFA) is mandated to promote best practices & regulate the production, processing, marketing, grading, storage, collection, transportation, & warehousing of agricultural products, excluding livestock products, as well as documenting & monitoring agriculture through registration of players as provided for in the Crops Act. Registration is done on the AFA Integrated Management Information System (IMIS); an automated platform that facilitates traders importing & exporting crops to acquire regulatory documents from AFA Directorates. For more information on how to register on the AFA IMIS Portal, click the link.
The AFA Horticultural Crops Directorate (HCD) is charged with the mandate of regulation of horticultural nurseries, production, post-harvest handling & marketing of horticultural crops & produce in compliance with local & international standards. Importers of horticultural produce are required to register with AFA HCD who issue an import licence that is valid for one (1) financial year. For more information on how to register with AFA HCD, click the link.
The regulation of plant & plant materials is under the mandate of the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), who is responsible for the assurance of plant health, seed, plant variety, & agro-inputs quality issues in Kenya, to prevent adverse impact on the economy, the environment and human health. Importers of plant & plant materials are required to obtain a Plant Import Permit (PIP) per consignment, which is processed through KEPHIS’ Integrated Export Import Certification System (IEICS). For more information on how to register on IEICS, click the link.
The AFA Food Crops Directorate (FCD) is mandated to regulate all scheduled food crops, legume crops, root crops and tuber crops which are broadly categorized into: cereals, legumes & roots, and tubers. Importers of food crops are therefore required to obtain a food crops importer licence issued by the Directorate. For more information on how obtain a food crops importer, click the link.
The Import Declaration Form (IDF) is a declaration of the customs value of a consignment, and is issued by the Kenya Revenue Authority’s (KRA), Customs Services Department. Importers are required to complete an IDF and sign it to show that they have declared the true & accurate value of the imported goods before they leave the country of origin. IDFs that remain unutilized after three (3) months from the date of issuance will automatically attract the appropriate sanctions. For more information on how to obtain an IDF, click the link.
Import of irish potatoes is regulated by AFA Food Crops Directorate (FC) who issue an import permit per consignment. Processing of the permits is done through the Trade Facilitation Platform (TFP). For more information on how to obtain an import permit for irish potatoes, click on the link.
Import of plant & plant materials is regulated by the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) who issue a Plant Import Permit (PIP) per consignment, which ascertains that the consignment has met the requirements outlined on the permit as per the type of species, and ensure that foreign injurious pests, diseases & noxious weeds which are non-existent in Kenya are not introduced or spread when importing plant material into the country. The PIP is valid for six (6) months from the date of issue. For more information on how to obtain the PIP, click the link.
A Certificate of Conformity (CoC) is a certified document issued by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), which assures that commodities have met the required standards & specifications. When a consignment arrives in Kenya without a CoC, indicating that the consignment was inspected at the country of origin, an importer is required to obtain a local CoC. The certificate is only issued after successful inspection & verification of the consignment is carried out by KEBS. For more information on how to obtain a local CoC, click the link.
The Import Standardization Mark (ISM) is a mandatory requirement for all imported products intended for sale in the local market. The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) is the competent Authority that regulates issuance of the ISM stickers. Traders are advised to apply for the ISM sticker once the goods have arrived, and the customs entry has been verified and passed by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA).
The following products are exempted from the ISM sticker; medicines, medical devices, pest control products, seeds (plant materials), printed materials, for example, books, newspaper, magazines etc., precious stones, jewellery etc., illuminated signs and name plates etc., motor vehicles & bikes (covered under a different inspection regime), artificial flowers, walking sticks, antiques etc., products manufactured in an East African Community (EAC) Partner State, and bears a quality mark of that Partner State.
In accordance with the provisions of the East African Community Customs Management Act (EACCMA), goods for importation shall be entered (declared) within twenty-one (21) days after the commencement of discharge or in the case of vehicles, on arrival. Importers are required to acquire the services of a licensed customs clearing agent, who is mandated to process the importation documents in the Customs system and assist in clearing goods on the importer’s behalf. For more information on how to import a consignment of Irish potatoes through JKIA, click the link.
In accordance with the provisions of the East African Community Customs Management Act (EACCMA), goods for importation shall be entered (declared) within twenty-one (21) days after the commencement of discharge or in the case of vehicles, on arrival. Importers are required to acquire the services of a licensed customs clearing agent, who is mandated to process the importation documents in the Customs system and assist in clearing goods on the importer’s behalf. For more information on how to import a consignment of Irish potatoes through the Namanga OSBP, click the link.
In accordance with the provisions of the East African Community Customs Management Act (EACCMA), goods for importation shall be entered (declared) within twenty-one (21) days after the commencement of discharge or in the case of vehicles, on arrival. Importers are required to acquire the services of a licensed customs clearing agent, who is mandated to process the importation documents in the Customs system and assist in clearing goods on the importer’s behalf. For more information on how to import a consignment of Irish potatoes through the Isebania OSBP, click the link.
In accordance with the provisions of the East African Community Customs Management Act (EACCMA), goods for importation shall be entered (declared) within twenty-one (21) days after the commencement of discharge or in the case of vehicles, on arrival. Importers are required to acquire the services of a licensed customs clearing agent, who is mandated to process the importation documents in the Customs system and assist in clearing goods on the importer’s behalf. For more information on how to import a consignment of Irish potatoes through the Malaba OSBP, click the link.
In accordance with the provisions of the East African Community Customs Management Act (EACCMA), goods for importation shall be entered (declared) within twenty-one (21) days after the commencement of discharge or in the case of vehicles, on arrival. Importers are required to acquire the services of a licensed customs clearing agent, who is mandated to process the importation documents in the Customs system and assist in clearing goods on the importer’s behalf. For more information on how to import a consignment of Irish potatoes through the Busia OSBP, click the link.