Importing a vehicle into Kenya remains one of the most popular ways for individuals, businesses, ride-share operators, and fleet managers to acquire reliable, cost-effective cars—especially in a market where new-vehicle prices often exceed KSh 5–10 million for popular SUVs and saloons. In 2026, the process is tightly regulated by three core authorities: the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) for customs valuation and taxation, the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) for pre-shipment conformity and age/roadworthiness compliance, and the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) for final registration and road-use approval. The landscape shifted significantly at the start of 2026. Effective January 1, 2026, KEBS enforced a stricter interpretation of the long-standing eight-year age limit under KS 1515:2000 (Code of Practice for Inspection of Road Vehicles) and Legal Notice No. 78 of 2020. Only Right-Hand Drive (RHD) vehicles whose year of first registration is January 1, 2019, or late...
The single most critical, yet often unseen, system in an electric vehicle (EV) is the Battery Thermal Management System (BTMS) . For the automotive industry , this system is the silent guardian that determines a vehicle's success across the four major consumer metrics: Range, Charging Speed, Lifespan, and Safety . The lithium-ion battery performs optimally within a remarkably narrow temperature "sweet spot," typically between $20^\circ\text{C}$ and $40^\circ\text{C}$ . Allowing the battery to stray outside this range, or allowing temperature differences of more than a few degrees between individual cells, results in immediate, quantifiable penalties. This complexity has made thermal management a rapidly growing, multi-billion-dollar segment of the automotive industry ecosystem . I. The Temperature Trilemma: Range, Speed, and Longevity The BTMS must solve three simultaneous problems generated by temperature: 1. Maximizing Range (The Cold Problem) In cold weather (below ...