Shipping from India to Kenya
The one lane where we are not working through an agent. Cargoking is a registered company in Kenya, so cargo into Mombasa and Nairobi clears through our own entity, and onward movement into Uganda and the wider region stays on the same file.
Lane detail
The Kenya lane at a glance
| Detail | What applies on this lane |
|---|---|
| Origin gateways | Nhava Sheva (JNPT) and Mumbai Air Cargo Complex, with inland collection across India. |
| Destination | Port of Mombasa for sea freight; Jomo Kenyatta International, Nairobi, for air cargo. |
| Sea transit, indicative | Public port and carrier data puts direct Nhava Sheva–Mombasa sailings at roughly 6–12 days, with transhipped routings running longer. |
| Air transit, indicative | Typically 2–4 days airport to airport, depending on space and whether the booking is express or consolidated. |
| Our position | Cargoking is a registered company in Kenya, so the destination entity is ours. Responsibility does not transfer to a third party on arrival. |
| Beyond Kenya | Mombasa is the gateway for the Northern Corridor into Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan. Landlocked destinations need the inland leg planned with the sea leg, not after it. |
| Compliance to check | Many goods entering Kenya require a Pre-Export Verification of Conformity (PVoC) certificate issued before shipment, plus an Import Declaration Form at the Kenyan end. Confirm this before the cargo is packed. |
Why Cargoking
Why we are different on the East African lane
On most lanes a forwarder hands your cargo to an agent at destination and hopes. Here we do not: Cargoking is a registered company in Kenya, which means the party receiving, clearing and delivering your consignment is us.
That matters most when something is contested: a classification query, a demurrage dispute, a delivery that has to be rescheduled. There is no second company to establish a position with before anything can be resolved.
It also matters for landlocked destinations. Cargo for Uganda, Rwanda or South Sudan moves up the Northern Corridor by road from Mombasa, and that leg needs planning alongside the sailing rather than being arranged after the container lands.
- Registered Cargoking entity in Kenya
- Mombasa port and Nairobi airport
- Onward delivery into Uganda and the region
- PVoC and documentation checked before shipment
How it runs
How a shipment to Kenya is handled
Four stages, each owned by the same coordinator, so nothing is handed between companies while your cargo waits.
Enquiry and routing
Route, commodity, weight or volume and the date go in. Realistic options for Kenya come back with the routing named, usually the same working day.
Documentation first
Shipping bill, classification and any permit the commodity needs are prepared and checked by our own Mumbai team before the cargo leaves your premises.
Booking and carriage
Space is contracted on the service quoted. Under our Multimodal Transport Operator licence a sea-plus-road movement runs on one document.
Destination and delivery
Clearance and onward delivery at the Kenya end, reported back through the same coordinator who took your enquiry.
Pricing
One quotation, itemised, with the routing named
A rate without a named service behind it is not a quotation. On this lane we state the routing, the transhipment and the service the rate belongs to, so the delivery date you plan with is one you can defend to your buyer.
Every charge we control is listed. The ones we do not control, duties and statutory taxes, are named rather than buried, so the invoice matches what was agreed.
- Routing and transhipment named in the quote
- Customs and DGFT prepared in-house
- A named coordinator from enquiry to delivery
- Operations desk available 24/7
- 01Main carriageCarrier rate on the service and routing quoted
- 02Origin handlingPickup, export handling and terminal charges
- 03Customs and documentationShipping bill, classification and DGFT filings
- 04Destination chargesImport handling and clearance in Kenya
- 05Inland deliveryFinal leg to the consignee where agreed
Transit figures on this page are indicative ranges drawn from public carrier and port data. The quotation confirms the actual service, and duties and statutory taxes are listed separately because the authorities set them.
Common questions
Shipping to Kenya
Direct sailings from Nhava Sheva to Mombasa run at roughly 6–12 days port to port according to public port and carrier data, with transhipped routings taking longer. Air cargo to Nairobi is typically 2–4 days airport to airport. Door-to-door adds cut-off, clearance and inland delivery.
Pre-Export Verification of Conformity is a Kenyan requirement under which many categories of goods must be inspected and certified before they are shipped, not after they arrive. A consignment that reaches Mombasa without the certificate can face penalties or rejection. We check whether your commodity falls within scope at enquiry stage.
Cargoking is a registered company in Kenya. East African movements are received, cleared and delivered by our own entity rather than by an agent acting on our behalf, so accountability does not change hands when the cargo lands.
Yes. Mombasa is the gateway for the Northern Corridor, and the road leg into landlocked destinations is planned alongside the sea leg so the whole movement sits on one file with one coordinator.
Sea for volume and planned replenishment, which is most of the traffic. Air into Nairobi where the deadline or the value of the goods justifies it. We price both when the choice is genuinely open.
Other lanes
Where else we move cargo
Moving cargo to Kenya?
Send the route, commodity, weight or volume and your target date. You will get a considered option with the routing named, usually the same working day.