The Kenya Ports Authority has introduced a 100% waiver on accrued storage and warehouse rent charges for long-stay containerised cargo at the Port of Mombasa. This one-time relief, valid until December 6, 2025, aims to ease the burden of delays on importers. Affected parties must apply through official channels to benefit.
On Thursday, November 20, 2025, the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) issued a notice announcing a 100% waiver on accrued storage and warehouse rent charges for long-stay containerised cargo at the Port of Mombasa. The waiver, shared by the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI), applies only upon lodging an application by affected customers and remains valid until Saturday, December 6, 2025, providing roughly 14 days for action.
“A 100 per cent waiver is being offered on Port Storage Charges and Customs Warehouse Rent for long-stay containerised cargo at the Port of Mombasa,” the notice stated. It further urged, “Members with long stay containerised cargo at the Port of Mombasa are strongly advised to take immediate action and lodge the necessary waiver application with the authorities to benefit from this 100% relief before the deadline of 6th December 2025.”
Shipping lines have been directed to issue a corresponding 100% waiver on accrued container demurrage charges. However, the relief excludes primary port charges, rail freight charges, shipping line fees such as delivery orders and terminal handling charges, and statutory taxes, which remain payable.
This measure addresses frequent delays at East Africa's busiest port, which often lead to high demurrage costs exceeding the value of goods. Normally, importers have seven to nine free days to clear containers; beyond that, daily fees accumulate rapidly. The waiver could save millions of shillings in penalties for Kenyan importers and traders from land-locked neighbors including Uganda—as confirmed by Uganda Revenue Authority announcements in early November 2025—South Sudan, Rwanda, and the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, which rely on Mombasa as their primary gateway.
Applications must be submitted through official KPA and Kenya Revenue Authority channels or licensed clearing agents to qualify for the benefits.