If you're still quoting duty from a 2024 spreadsheet, stop. The Current Retail Selling Price (CRSP) schedule KRA published in mid-2025 was the biggest reset since the 8-year rule. Most shoppers noticed it as 'cars got more expensive'. A few importers noticed it as a structural rebase.
We walked through it with two clearing agents in Mombasa and a forwarder in Nairobi. Here's what actually moved, what it costs you at the yard, and where the new leverage points are.
Three numbers moved, and all three matter
First, the depreciation cap went from 25% to 35%. That sounds like relief, and for five-to-eight-year-old cars it is. It trims a meaningful slice off the duty base for anything at the back end of the import window.
Second — and this is the one that hurt — the internal reference exchange rate jumped from KES 100 to KES 130 per USD. Duty is assessed in shillings, but CRSP values are USD-anchored. Overnight, every line moved up about 30%.
Third, the catalogue itself grew. The old 3,000-model list invited creative 'comparable spec' matching for obscure imports. The new 5,200-model list leaves far fewer unlisted cars, which means fewer discretionary calls.
- Takeaway: The 35% depreciation cap helps, but the FX rebase more than cancels it out for most models.
- Hybrids absorbed the hit harder than petrols because their USD base values were already higher.
- Worked example: a Toyota Vitz Hybrid's duty line moved from roughly KSh 319,500 to KSh 508,900.
Duty is assessed in shillings, but CRSP is USD-anchored — the exchange-rate rebase did the real damage.
Where the new leverage is
The practical response from serious importers has been threefold. Older but still within the 8-year window is suddenly more attractive per-shilling-of-duty. Underquoted auction grades (3.5B) are losing their advantage because KRA's reference is the CRSP, not the invoice. And clearing agents are getting stricter on paperwork because discretionary room has shrunk.
If you were planning an import in April 2026, the honest advice is: budget 20–30% more than you would have this time last year for the same car, or step down a trim. The days of a KSh 1.6M Vitz Hybrid landed are over; KSh 1.95–2.1M is the new floor.
