Kenya is the region's gateway: containers landing at Mombasa routinely move onward to Kampala, Kigali, Juba, Bukavu and Lusaka under transit bond - duty suspended while the cargo is in Kenyan territory. Brandmax manages the whole transit chain: bond execution, transit declarations, escort requirements where they apply, and handover documentation at the exit border post.
Bonded cargo is the other half of the story. Dutiable goods can be held in our bonded warehousing without paying import duty - you clear and pay only what you release, when you release it. For regional traders this also enables re-export: goods land, sit under bond, and leave for a neighbouring market without ever being formally imported into Kenya.
Transit and bonded regimes live and die by documentation discipline - bonds must be acquitted, movements reconciled and records available to customs on demand. We keep that file clean, which is what keeps the facility available and the cargo moving.
What is included
- Transit bonds and regional transit declarations
- Movement coordination to Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan and DRC
- Customs escort and tracking requirements handled
- Bonded warehousing for duty-suspended storage
- Re-export and transshipment documentation
- Bond acquittal and stock reconciliation
How it works
Register the movement
Cargo details and destination define the bond and declarations required.
Bond executed
The transit bond is placed and the movement documented before cargo moves.
Cargo travels or stores
Goods transit to the exit border, or sit in bonded storage under customs control.
Bond acquitted
Exit documentation or release entries acquit the bond - keeping your record clean with customs.
Frequently asked questions
How does transit cargo avoid Kenyan duty?
Goods moving under bond to a declared destination outside Kenya do not pay Kenyan import duty - the transit bond guarantees the revenue until the cargo exits. Duties are paid at destination instead.
Can I store imported stock without paying duty?
Yes - bonded warehousing holds dutiable cargo under customs control. You pay duty only on what you withdraw for the Kenyan market, or nothing on what you re-export.
What happens if a transit bond is not acquitted?
Unacquitted bonds are called by customs - effectively a penalty equal to the guaranteed duty. Our reconciliation process exists precisely to prevent that.