UK Protests Kenya's Move to Ban Second-hand Buses and Trucks

The United Kingdom has protested Kenya’s plan to ban the importation of second-hand passenger buses and trucks which aims at increasing safety on Kenyan roads.

Trade and Industrialization Cabinet Secretary Betty Maina says the UK authorities are uncomfortable with the ban as they fear it will cut the flow of used commercial vehicles from their country.

Maina told Business Daily that the matter will be addressed by the Kenya-United Kingdom Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) Council which is made up of ministerial representatives from both countries.

The council is tasked with ensuring a smooth implementation of the post-Brexit trade agreement signed in December 2020, allowing duty-free access of Kenyan goods to the UK market.

“The UK side has formally raised some queries on changes in regulations for used vehicles. That will become part of the discussions in the EPA Council,” Maina told the Business Daily.

“That [EPA Council route] is a fairly normal instrument for review of export numbers and experiences between the two countries.”

The ban on second-hand imports of buses and trucks was set to take effect from July 1st before it was suspended by judge Oscar Angote of the Environment and Land Court pending the determination of a petition filed by activist Okiya Omtatah.

While announcing the ban in April, the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) said all used passenger minibuses, midibuses, large buses, single articulated and bi-articulated buses and double-decker buses shall not be allowed for importation into the country effective from July 1st.

The agency further stated that it will not allow the importation of second-hand rigid trucks with Gross Value Mass (GVM) equal to or greater than 3.5 tonnes and up to and including 30 tonnes.

Importers of second-hand tractor heads and prime movers not older than three years were given a grace period of up to June 30th, 2023, after which they too will be banned.

Kebs noted that the embargo does not affect small vans or microbuses with a length of up to seven meters as well as other non-commercial vehicles including saloon and SUV cars, provided they are not older than eight years.