Kenyan car dealers are threatening to go to court to block a government policy on imported cars, which would bar some vehicles on three vessels at the Mombasa port from entering the local market.

The government set a December 31 deadline for vehicles manufactured in 2017 to have been registered with the country’s standards authority, but importers have appealed the decision, arguing that it would result in significant losses due to logistical disruptions.

Even now, dealers say that in the coming week, they expect at least three vessels, which have been delayed, to dock at the port of Mombasa before the end of 2024.

They maintain that the eight-year rule on motor vehicle imports still stands.

The Car Importers Association of Kenya (CIAK) has raised concerns that a number of vessels, which were expected to dock at Mombasa before December 31, were delayed due to various logistical interruptions, including attacks by Houthi militants in the Red Sea, which have forced ships to take longer routes.

CIAK Chairman Peter Otieno said on Thursday that they might be forced to move to court if their vehicles are not cleared. He called on the government to consider the challenges involved in the shipping industry and allow all vehicles that were inspected before the deadline to pass.“We are asking the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) to respect the agreement we had with them, which we believe still stands, and allow all cars cleared by their agents on time but delayed due to logistical issues to access the Kenyan market,” Mr Otieno said.

In November, Kebs issued guidelines under the eight-year rule that prevent 2017-manufactured vehicles from being shipped into the country past the December 31 deadline.

The standards regulator has maintained that any cars failing to meet this deadline will not be cleared and will be turned away at the importers’ expense.

Some car dealers managed to beat the deadline as five vessels loaded with cars docked at the port of Mombasa.

Mr Otieno said at least three vessels are expected before January 10 and appealed to Kebs to relax its rules.“We are urging the government to consider allowing all vehicles cleared by Kebs to be allowed into the country past December 31, 2024. If not, we will move to court,” said Mr Otieno.“There are a number of logistics challenges at the moment, including delays caused by Houthi militants who have disrupted shipping, thus increasing the number of days vessels are docked in Mombasa. We expect this to delay the delivery of vehicles, resulting in losses.”

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