Cargo from Nairobi to Kampala

Cargo from Nairobi to Kampala

The northern corridor from Mombasa through Nairobi to Kampala is East Africa's busiest trade route. We move full and part loads along it every week, for importers clearing at Mombasa for onward transit and for shippers moving goods out of Nairobi.

Services

• Full truck load — dedicated trucks for containerised or loose cargo.
• Part load and groupage — you pay for the space you use, ideal for smaller consignments.
• Transit clearance — cargo landed at Mombasa and moved under bond to Uganda.
• Door delivery in Kampala and onward to Uganda's regional towns.

Transit times

Nairobi to Kampala is typically 2–3 days by road depending on border processing at Malaba or Busia. From Mombasa allow 4–6 days, longer if the consignment requires physical verification.

Border and compliance

Under the East African Community Single Customs Territory, duty on goods destined for Uganda is assessed and paid at the point of entry rather than at the border, which has cut clearing times materially. Transit cargo moves under a customs bond and is monitored by regional electronic cargo tracking. We handle bond execution and the tracking requirements, and prepare the certificate of origin where EAC preference is claimed.

Choosing your border post

Malaba handles the greater share of northern corridor freight and has the deeper infrastructure, but it is also busier. Busia is often quicker for lighter consignments and for cargo heading to western and southwestern Uganda. We route per consignment rather than by habit, and we will tell you which we are using and why.

What we carry

General cargo, building materials, machinery, packaged foodstuffs, agricultural inputs and consumer goods. We do not carry cargo that is prohibited or restricted under EAC rules, and we will tell you plainly if your goods need a permit before we quote rather than discovering it at the border.

Documentation for Uganda-bound cargo

Beyond the standard commercial invoice, packing list and transport document, transit cargo needs a customs transit declaration and bond, and cargo claiming EAC preferential treatment needs a valid EAC Certificate of Origin. That certificate is worth attention — goods manufactured within the Community and properly certified attract preferential duty, and importers regularly pay full rates simply because the paperwork was never requested from the supplier.

Certain categories attract additional requirements: foodstuffs and agricultural inputs may need Uganda National Bureau of Standards clearance or a phytosanitary certificate, and pharmaceuticals need National Drug Authority involvement. Tell us what you are moving early and we will list exactly what is needed.

What causes delays on this corridor

• Weighbridges. Axle load limits are enforced along the route. Overloaded trucks are offloaded at the operator's cost and the delay is measured in days, not hours. We load to legal limits, which occasionally means one more truck than a cheaper quote assumed.
• Incomplete transit documents. A missing bond or an incorrectly described consignment stops the truck at the border.
• Cargo tracking seals. Transit cargo is monitored electronically. A tampered or failed seal triggers inspection.
• Peak congestion. Month-end and pre-holiday periods are consistently slower at both Malaba and Busia.

Return loads

We also carry cargo from Uganda into Kenya — coffee, tea, agricultural produce and manufactured goods. If you have volume in both directions, tell us; backloading meaningfully improves the rate we can offer you.