Shipping Used Construction Machinery to Uganda via Mombasa

Can I import construction machinery to Uganda through Mombasa?

Start by appointing the Ugandan clearing agent, not by choosing a road transporter. As checked in October 2026, URA says Single Customs Territory goods are declared in Uganda after the manifest reaches ASYCUDA. Taxes are paid while the goods are still at the first point of entry.

URA says the machine then moves from the port under a Single Regional Bond and the Regional Electronic Cargo Tracking System. Your Ugandan agent should confirm the consignee, declaration sequence, bond principal, transporter, release steps and tracking arrangements for the actual shipment.

For Kenya imports, read our guide to importing used machinery into Kenya. Uganda-bound cargo needs the route-specific checks below.

What Uganda taxes are paid at Mombasa?

Ask for one written schedule tied to the machine's eight-digit code and the importer. Here is what you can use, and what your agent still needs to check, as of October 2026.

URA's FAQ states VAT at 18% of customs value plus import duty. URA also states withholding tax at 6% of customs value for imports, except supplies and imports by organisations or people exempt from income tax. Its FAQ gives an infrastructure levy of 1.5% of customs value for home-use goods. Ask your Ugandan clearing agent for the live bases, additions, importer treatment and any Chapter 84 or 85 exemption under the enacted law.

The enacted import declaration fee and any Chapter 84 or 85 plant exemption are not confirmed. Do not use the 2025 Bill's proposed 1% as a payable rate. The machine's current import duty is also unsettled; ask the agent or URA for the eight-digit code, rate and any current Uganda measure in writing.

Environmental-levy treatment is not settled for a particular used machine: the official rules address categories of motor and goods vehicles, and their age descriptions do not align. Uganda has not confirmed whether its used-vehicle age cap covers earth-moving plant or farm tractors. Ask URA, the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) or the buyer's agent to rule on the exact machine, weight, status and age.

Does used machinery need UNBS inspection before shipping?

Do not reuse an old conformity booking route. As of October 2026, Bureau Veritas says its last Uganda PVoC certificate was issued on 7 October 2026. It stopped the service for shipments from 8 October 2026.

Before that stop, the provider's Uganda datasheet placed used products in Group XI and route A, with inspection at origin before shipment. That is historical information, not a current instruction. The current UNBS-appointed provider and live terms for used machinery from the UK or mainland Europe remain unconfirmed.

Ask UNBS in writing for the current provider, machine classification, inspection location, documents and unsealed roll-on/roll-off procedure before payment or shipment. A pre-purchase condition inspection is separate from UNBS conformity inspection.

Do Kenyan rules still apply to Uganda-bound transit cargo?

Do not assume a regional bond removes every Kenyan control. As of October 2026, ask for a route-specific answer on standards, marine insurance and plant health. Neither the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) QISJ renewal notice nor the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) marine cargo insurance notice expressly resolves Uganda-bound machinery discharged at Mombasa in transit.

Kenya's Plant Protection Rules define regulated articles broadly enough to include conveyances, containers and soil, but do not name machinery. The plant-health treatment for machinery transiting Kenya and entering Uganda is not settled. Ask KEPHIS, Uganda's agriculture authority and both buyer-side agents whether the route needs inspection, treatment, cleanliness evidence or a permit.

Get the Kenyan port-side agent's written answer on KEBS and marine insurance, with KRA or KEBS confirmation where needed, before booking.

How do I plan Mombasa port and the road move to Uganda?

Plan the port handover around the machine, not a generic vehicle allowance. As checked in October 2026, the KPA tariff was effective from 15 September 2025. It gives transit vehicles 12 consecutive free storage days, but it does not name excavators or backhoe loaders in a handling band. Ask the port or buyer's agent to confirm transit status, handling band, towing needs and the free-time start.

For an abnormal or oversize load, the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) service charter provides an online Axle Load Exemption Permit route. It asks for a logbook, valid National Transport and Safety Authority inspection report, insurance certificate and photographs, and gives a two-working-day service standard. The appointed haulier or KeNHA should confirm whether the loaded machine and Kenyan road route need the permit, a route study, an escort or more evidence.

Browse the types of used construction machinery we source across the UK and Europe. The port and road checks above do not promise a discharge, clearance or Mombasa-to-Uganda transit time.

Pre-purchase checklist

Use this October 2026 checklist before purchase or loading:

— Appoint a Ugandan clearing agent and have that agent put the consignee, ASYCUDA declaration sequence, payment point, bond and tracking arrangements in writing.

— Obtain a tax schedule for the exact eight-digit code, separating VAT, withholding tax, infrastructure levy, import declaration fee, duty and any environmental levy.

— Get the machine's age treatment in writing from URA, UNBS or the agent.

— Ask UNBS for the current appointed conformity provider and written procedure for the exact used RoRo or other shipment.

— Obtain a written answer on whether KEBS and Kenya's digital marine cargo insurance rule apply while the machine is in transit through Mombasa.

— Check the KPA transit category, handling band, towing status and start of the free-storage clock before arrival.

— Have the haulier check the KeNHA abnormal-load permit route against the loaded dimensions, weight and road route.

— Get the Kenya and Uganda plant-health or cleanliness requirements in writing before loading, and keep clear wash-down photographs.

Working with a buying agent who already does this

Euro Plant Finder finds machinery in the UK and Europe, checks the seller, arranges inspection, negotiates and coordinates the export handover. Your Ugandan clearing agent controls the declaration, taxes, bond and clearance. We coordinate with that agent, the forwarder and the seller.

See how we coordinate the buying and export side while your appointed agent controls the destination entry. Tell us the machine, Uganda destination and preferred shipping window to begin a search.

Sources and last check

This guide was last checked on 25 October 2026 against the official sources below. It is general guidance, not a quotation or legal advice: rates and rules change, so confirm anything that affects your machine with your clearing agent or the authority named.

— Uganda Revenue Authority: SCT (checked 7 October 2026)

— Uganda Revenue Authority: FAQs (checked 23 October 2026)

— Uganda Revenue Authority: WHT (checked 7 October 2026)

— Parliament of Uganda: 2025 External Trade Bill (checked 7 October 2026); tracker (checked 23 October 2026)

— Parliament of Uganda: Finance Act 2008 (checked 7 October 2026)

— Parliament of Uganda: 2026 Traffic Bill report (checked 7 October 2026)

— East African Community: CET page (checked 7 October 2026); gazettes (checked 7 October 2026)

— Bureau Veritas: Uganda PVoC end of service (checked 23 October 2026)

— Bureau Veritas: UGANDA (PVoC) Datasheet Rev 11.3 (checked 7 October 2026)

— Kenya Bureau of Standards: QISJ renewal (May 2026) (checked 23 October 2026)

— Kenya Revenue Authority: marine cargo insurance notice (checked 23 October 2026)

— Kenya Ports Authority: KPA tariff (checked 23 October 2026)

— KeNHA: service charter (checked 23 October 2026)

— Kenya Law: Plant Protection Rules LN 108/2009 (checked 7 October 2026)