Overview 

The Busia border crossing is the main land checkpoint for goods and travellers passing between Kenya and Uganda. The facilities were upgraded in recent years to make it a one-stop border crossing between Busia, Kenya and Busia, Uganda. A vehicle and container scanner are one of the new installations that has hastened the processing time at Busia border points making a total of 500 trucks per day through all agencies. The town of Busia (Kenya) is the capital of Busia County and lies on the direct route between Kampala and Nairobi via Kisumu. Many travellers take a direct bus between the 2 capital cities, which takes 12-13 hours. Individuals crossing the Kenyan-Uganda border are required to have certain documents to do so, including the following:  

• Passport (or national ID for East Africans). 

• Visa (if applicable).  

• Yellow fever vaccination certificate.  

Nationals of East African Community (EAC) member states do not need a visa to enter Kenya or Uganda and may also enter using a national ID card in place of their passport. International visitors who meet the Kenyan eVisa requirements can take the convenient option of applying for their visa online, which skips any unnecessary trips to an embassy. 

Some of the bottlenecks at the border crossing include Unilateral bans on products, high fees by Agriculture and Food Authority-Kenya, trade information asymmetry, and single lane roads on the Kenya side that stifles cross-border business between Kenya and Uganda via Busia One-Stop Border Posts. There have also been traffic snarl-ups that have been blamed on poor road network and lack of power and internet connectivity at the border point. 

Daily Capacity 

Busia one-stop border point has four lanes; The first lane is for general cargo transport, The second lane is used by passenger vehicles, the third is for fresh produce transport and the fourth is for hazardous products. An average of 500 trucks with goods passes through the border daily with the numbers increasing between Wednesday and Sunday. Kenya's revenue authority has installed cargo scanners at border points to facilitate trade. 

Customs Clearance 

In a customs clearance process, there are loads of documents to be verified and submitted, either electronically or physically with the consignment. This to help the concerned officials to calculate taxes and duties that are levied on the consignment that is ready to ship. The requirements include  

• Pro-Forma,  

• Customs packing list,  

• COO Certificate (Country of Origin),  

• Customs Invoice,  

• Shipping bill,  

• Export license,  

• Bill of lading,  

• Bill of sight,  

• Letter of credit,  

• Bill of exchange,  

• Export license. 

• Health certificate.  

Unilateral bans on products, high fees by Agriculture and Food Authority-Kenya, trade information asymmetry, and single-lane roads on the Kenya side stifle cross-border business between Kenya and Uganda via Busia One-Stop Border Posts. Traffic snarl-ups have also been blamed on poor road networks and lack of power and internet connectivity at the border points. Some of the tariffs are (assuming each WFP (World Food Programme) truck loads 28,000 kg) 

• AFA (Agriculture and Food Authority) permit for cereals and pulses – USD (US Dollars) 17 per truck 

• Kenya Dairy Board Permit – USD (US Dollars) 8.5 per truck (for milk products – CSB (CORN SOYA BLEND), LNS (Lipid based Nutrient Supplements) (Lipid based Nutrient Supplements) (Lipid based Nutrient Supplements)) 

• Department Veterinary Services – USD 8.5 per truck (for milk products – CSB, LNS) 

• Port Health - USD 8.5 per truck 

• Radiation Permit - USD 17 per truck  

• KEPHIS (Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service) fee – USD 2.5 per mt. 

• Clearing agents Fee charge 1.275 per mt. 

For more information on customs in Kenya, please see the following links:  

https://www.eac.int/press-releases/142-customs/1276-eac-operationalizes-13-one-stop-border-posts 

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17531055.2020.1768468 

Other Relevant Information 

Processes or procedures required to complete the crossing and approximate waiting time. 

1. Pre-clearance documentation; Contract a clearing agent. 

2. Obtaining Kenya Service release; requirements.  

• Submission of documents for verification 

• Verification of consignment 

• Paying for import permit 

• Obtaining Kenya Service release 

3. Obtaining Port Health Services release 

• Applying for import health certificate and generate e-slip. 

• Paying for import health certificate 

• Submission of clearance documents for verification 

• Verification of consignment 

• Obtaining import health certificate 

4. Obtaining KES release 

• Submit documents for verification. 

• Payment of destination inspection fees 

• Verification of consignment 

5. Obtaining KRA (Kenya Revenue Authority) release 

• Obtaining exit note 

• Submission of clearance documents for verification 

• Verification of consignment 

• Obtaining KRA final release 

6. Physical release of consignment 

Period: 

• Waiting time in queue: Max. 10mn 

• Attention at the counter: Max.  5mn 

For more information on processes or procedures required to complete the crossing and approximate waiting time Link.  

https://infotradekenya.go.ke/procedure/502/step/2543?l=en&embed=true&includeSearch=false 

KEBS (Kenya Bureau of Standards) Rates on IMPORTS FROM COUNTRIES WHERE PVOC (Pre-Export Verification of Conformity) CONTRACTORS ARE NOT PRESENT  

General goods and used motor vehicles being imported from countries where PVOC Contractors are not present (see clause 5.3 and 7.1) shall be subject to destination inspection upon payment of destination inspection fee equivalent to 0.6% of the approved Customs Value subject to minimum of USD 265 and maximum of USD 2700 per used motor vehicle unit or consignment submitted for inspection. Testing fee is payable where testing is required to determine conformity.  

For more information on government contact details, please see the following link: 4.1 Government Contact List.