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 automotive industry is in the middle of a massive identity crisis. It has successfully moved from hardware to software, but its workforce hasn't moved fast enough to follow. This creates the most existential threat to the Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) revolution: the talent gap . The industry is no longer competing for the best mechanical engineers; it is competing with Google, Amazon, and FinTech for the same pool of software developers, AI specialists, and cybersecurity analysts. The failure to rapidly close this automotive industry skills gap is resulting in massive project delays, security vulnerabilities, and a direct threat to profitability. I. The New Role Call: In-Demand Digital Skills The skills most critical to vehicle development today are precisely the hardest to find. The industry needs a new profile of digital skills in automotive to tackle the complexity of modern vehicles and factories: Domain In-Demand Role Why It's Critical Autonomy & AI Generat...