Shipping cost from China to Kenya
To ship from China to Kenya in 2026, expect $10–$13.5/kg air express (2–5 days) or $190–$260/CBM sea LCL (28–38 days). Main port: Port of Mombasa (gateway for East Africa.
Live calculator below, plus the full per-method table, port + forwarder context, and a link to the duty + VAT applied by Kenya Revenue Authority — Customs & Border Control on arrival.
How much does it cost to ship from China to Kenya?
+ customs duty + VAT applied at arrival (see the customs page for your country).
Estimate based on indicative China → Africa rates (June 2026 reference). Real quotes vary by season, container availability, weight density and forwarder relationship. Confirm with your freight forwarder before booking.
Freight rates by method — China → Kenya
| Method | Range | Transit |
|---|---|---|
| Air express (DHL/FedEx/UPS) | $10–$14 /kg | 2–5 d |
| Air standard / consolidator | $6–$9 /kg | 7–11 d |
| Sea LCL (less than container) | $190–$260 /CBM | 28–38 d |
| Sea FCL — 20ft container | $2,500–$3,800 /container | 28–38 d |
| Sea FCL — 40ft container | $4,200–$6,400 /container | 28–38 d |
Ports and infrastructure: Kenya
Main seaport: Port of Mombasa (gateway for East Africa, including landlocked neighbours).
Air-cargo gateway: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi (NBO).
Typical imported goods: electronics and phones, motorcycles (boda boda), construction materials, machinery, textiles.
Customs authority: Kenya Revenue Authority — Customs & Border Control. See the customs page →
What the China → Kenya lane looks like
Lane type. This is a major East-African transhipment gateway: ocean boxes land at one large port that also feeds landlocked neighbours, so it carries denser sailing frequency than most single-country lanes.
What that means in practice. Transit times on this east-coast lane are among the shortest to the region because the routing avoids a Cape or canal detour, and the gateway's scale keeps LCL and FCL space relatively available.
What affects your shipping cost
- Cargo density. Air freight charges the higher of actual vs volumetric weight. For bulky/light goods (foam, clothing), volumetric dominates. For dense goods (metal), actual weight does.
- Season. Q4 (October–December, before Christmas and Lunar New Year) is peak season — prices can rise 20–40%. Q1–Q2 is low season.
- Arrival port fees. Handling, storage, clearance — easily US$200–500 on arrival even for a small LCL shipment. Always request a "door-to-door all-in" quote.
- Currency and FX. Freight is billed in USD. Conversion at time of payment to your forwarder in Shilling — watch the USD/KES rate.
Which Chinese ports usually serve Kenya?
Five Chinese hubs dominate exports to Kenya: Shenzhen / Yantian (Pearl River Delta, the largest for electronics), Shanghai / Yangshan (Yangtze, broad high-tonnage), Ningbo-Zhoushan (Zhejiang, near Yiwu), Guangzhou / Nansha (south China), and Qingdao (north China, machinery and steel).
Choice depends on where your supplier is located (each hub drains ~500 km of hinterland), departure schedule to Port of Mombasa (gateway for East Africa, and container availability. Ask your forwarder the weekly sailing frequency from each port — that determines whether you wait 3 or 14 days to load.
Motorcycle (boda-boda) and phone shipments dominate this lane, so consolidators here regularly handle CKD two-wheeler kits and battery-electronics paperwork.
Choosing a forwarder for Kenya
Choose a forwarder fluent in the home-use versus transit declaration split, since this gateway also feeds neighbouring interiors — declaring your box on the wrong channel is a common, avoidable source of hold-ups here.
A good China → Kenya forwarder does three things: (1) has an office or correspondent BOTH in China AND in Kenya, (2) can consolidate multiple suppliers into a single shipment, (3) knows Kenya Revenue Authority — Customs & Border Control and can handle clearance at Port of Mombasa (gateway for East Africa without an additional middleman.
Always request a "door-to-door" quote that includes: pickup at the Chinese supplier, export fees, sea or air freight, arrival port fees, customs clearance, and delivery to your warehouse. On this lane specifically, validate the forwarder with a small test batch (1 CBM or 50 kg) before trusting them with a full shipment.