Kenya tax, payroll and business guides

Plain-English articles on Kenyan taxes, payroll and compliance.

• 10 Oct 2026 Import documents checklist: what to have ready before the goods arriveThe documents customs and your clearing agent will ask for, why each matters and how to avoid delays and storage charges.
• 10 Oct 2026 IDF and RDL explained: the two fees every import paysWhat the Import Declaration Fee and the Railway Development Levy are, how they are calculated, who pays them and how they affect your landed cost.
• 10 Oct 2026 Excise duty on imports and vehicles: what it is and when it appliesWhich imported goods carry excise duty, how it is added to the customs value and duty, why vehicles pay it by engine size and how it affects VAT.
• 10 Oct 2026 How to calculate import duty on goods: a step-by-step methodThe order in which duty, levies and VAT are added on imported goods, a worked example and how to find the duty rate for your product.
• 10 Oct 2026 Exporting from Kenya: zero-rated VAT, documents and refundsHow exports are zero-rated for VAT, how to claim back the input VAT, what documents prove an export and how long refunds take.
• 10 Oct 2026 Customs valuation explained: what KRA taxes on an importHow the customs value of imported goods is set, why it can differ from the invoice price, what is added to it and how vehicles are valued.
• 10 Oct 2026 Clearing agent or clear it yourself? What importers should knowWhat a clearing agent does, what they charge, when it makes sense to clear goods yourself and how to choose and check an agent.
• 10 Oct 2026 How to lower your landed cost legallyPractical, lawful ways to reduce what an import costs: classification, valuation, shipping terms, duty remission, consolidation and VAT recovery.