The KEBS age-rule update took effect 1 January 2026: only right-hand-drive vehicles first registered from 1 January 2019 are cleared for import. In practice that means the 2018 Vitz your cousin was eyeing in December is now paperwork, not a car.
The mechanics of the rule haven't changed — 8 years from first registration is still the reference — but the cutoff rolled. The knock-on effect is that 2019 stock became the entry-level vintage overnight, and yards in Mombasa reacted within a week. 2019 Premios, Axios and Fielders that were KSh 1.3M in November were KSh 1.55M by February.
What to do about it: if you were waiting on a sub-2019 unit, you're out of luck at the port. Look to local stock instead — cars already registered in Kenya don't care about the import cutoff. The Kenyan used market has enough 2017–2018 supply to absorb the demand shift, and prices on that tier have moved up about 8–12% in sympathy.
One quiet winner in this cycle is the 2019 hybrid. Because the import base just reset, 2019 Aqua and Axio hybrid pricing is still aligned to the outgoing market and represents the sweet spot for anyone clearing now. Expect that window to close by August 2026 as the cohort ages and supply thins.
The 2018 Vitz your cousin was eyeing in December is now paperwork, not a car.
