Start with the one fact that decides everything: Kenya drives on the left and requires right-hand-drive vehicles, while every Changan UNI-T and UNI-V built at Chongqing is left-hand drive. Importing a converted LHD car is not a workaround — the Kenya Bureau of Standards inspection will fail it. RHD UNI allocation comes from Changan Rayong in Thailand and is quoted against that plant schedule, not from Chinese stock.
What Kenya actually requires before the ship sails
Kenya operates a Pre-Export Verification of Conformity programme. The inspection happens in the country of supply, before loading, and produces a Certificate of Conformity that travels with the shipping documents. A vehicle that arrives at Mombasa without a valid CoC is not fined and released; it goes into a penalty-and-destination-inspection process that routinely costs more than the certificate would have.
“All products under the PVoC programme must be accompanied by a Certificate of Conformity issued in the country of supply.”
The three rules that disqualify most shipments
- Steering side. Right-hand drive only. There is no exemption for new vehicles and no conversion route that survives inspection.
- Age limit. Kenya applies an eight-year rule from the year of first registration. A 0 km factory unit is unaffected, but it is the rule that makes used-import quotes worthless within a few years.
- Roadworthiness inspection. The PVoC body inspects the physical vehicle, not the paperwork: VIN, odometer, lighting, glazing and tyre markings all have to match the declared specification.
What the landed cost looks like
| Line item | Basis | Typical value |
|---|---|---|
| Ocean freight (Ro-Ro) | Per vehicle slot | USD 950 - 1,450 |
| Marine insurance | ~0.5% of CIF | USD 80 - 120 |
| PVoC inspection | Per unit, paid at origin | USD 180 - 320 |
| Import duty | 25% of customs value | Country schedule |
| Excise + VAT + IDF + RDL | Applied on the duty-inclusive value | Country schedule |
Duty, excise and VAT are set by the Kenya Revenue Authority and change with each Finance Act, so treat the bottom three rows as a structure rather than a number and confirm the current rates with your clearing agent before you commit. What we fix on the proforma invoice is the top four rows.
What we would actually recommend
If you need Changan product in Kenya this quarter, ask us for the Rayong RHD allocation list rather than the Chongqing catalogue. If you are buying for a neighbouring LHD market — Ethiopia, DR Congo, South Sudan, Rwanda — the UNI-T 1.5T ships from Chongqing in 25 to 35 days and clears on a standard CoC. We would rather tell you that up front than sell you a car that gets rejected at the port.