Kenya is proactively seeking alternative cargo routes and bolstering port efficiency to mitigate disruptions caused by escalating tensions in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

• Kenya Airways and other international carriers are being engaged to secure alternate routes.
• Trade Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui is leading efforts to ensure continued import and export flows.
• The disruptions place approximately Sh164.6 billion worth of annual exports to the Middle East at risk.

Kenyan manufacturers are urging the government to slash import levies to mitigate rising production costs exacerbated by the Hormuz crisis.

• Over 78.6 percent of firms report being affected by the ongoing crisis, with sea freight costs surging by over 30 percent for 35.7 percent of manufacturers
• The Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) is leading the call for intervention.
• KAM is pushing for the suspension of levies such as the Railway Development Levy (RDL), Import Declaration Fee (IDF), and VAT on fuel.

The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has clarified that there is no operational ban on KD number plates, despite concerns from car dealers regarding new regulations that they claim could disrupt the motor trade.

• NTSA Director General Nashon Kondiwa stated that the use of KD plates is still permitted under Section 24 of the Traffic Act.
• Dealers had raised alarms about new rules limiting KD plate use to specific functions like test drives and transfers, prohibiting personal errands or extended use before registration.
• NTSA insists that vehicles must be fully registered before leaving container freight stations (CFS), rendering KD plates unnecessary for registered vehicles.