How Kenya county levies raise cost of moving goods on trade corridors

Heavy trucks queue at the Changamwe Roundabout to enter the Port of Mombasa in this photo taken on August 28, 2026. 

Photo credit: Kevin Odit. | Nation Media Group

Kenya’s devolved governments are emerging as a major obstacle to the movement of goods on key trade corridors, with traders and transporters complaining that multiple local levies are raising costs, increasing truck turnaround times and undermining the country’s competitiveness.

The concerns are particularly acute on the Northern Corridor.