How financing is reshaping Kenya's car import business

A vehicle yard in Mombasa, reflecting Kenya’s car import trade as new financing arrangements seek to link overseas sourcing with local asset finance. [File,Standard]

Kenya’s vehicle import business is drawing new financing arrangements that seek to connect overseas car purchases with shipping, clearance and asset loans once vehicles are registered locally.

Importing a vehicle involves several stages, from selecting and paying for a car abroad to arranging shipping, customs clearance and registration in Kenya.

Each stage carries costs that buyers and dealers must plan for before the vehicle is ready for use.

For dealers, money committed to overseas purchases can remain tied up during shipping and clearance, limiting the capital available for other transactions.

Buyers must also account for the full cost of bringing a vehicle into the country and determine how to finance the purchase.

The timing of financing is another consideration. Conventional asset finance may depend on a vehicle being registered locally, leaving a gap between the overseas purchase and the point at which the car qualifies for local financing.

The terms lenders offer, including interest rates, repayment periods and eligibility requirements, determine how buyers and dealers can manage that gap.

One response to this challenge is emerging through a partnership between Cars Kenya and Absa Bank Kenya, which seeks to link vehicle sourcing and import coordination with asset financing.

Announced on October 21, the arrangement brings together Cars Kenya’s vehicle sourcing and import coordination, technology provided by Shekel Mobility and Absa’s asset financing.

Under the model, financing will be completed after the vehicle has been registered in Kenya and the bank’s credit and disbursement conditions have been met.

Eligible Absa premium clients may qualify for financing of up to 100 per cent of the qualifying vehicle value, subject to credit assessment and applicable product conditions.

The offer could help qualifying buyers manage the purchase of vehicles sourced overseas. 

Shipping, import duty, taxes, clearance and registration costs could affect the amount buyers need to provide from their own funds.

Cars Kenya Managing Director Sammy Wanjema said the partnership was intended to give customers a more coordinated route to purchasing vehicles from Japan by considering sourcing, importation and financing together.

“Importing a vehicle should be an exciting step towards ownership, not a confusing journey through disconnected processes,” Wanjema said.

He added that customers needed greater clarity on the process, costs and requirements before committing to a purchase.

The arrangement also targets dealers whose working capital can remain tied up between buying vehicles overseas and delivering them to customers in Kenya.

By combining sourcing, technology and financing, the partners aim to help participating dealers coordinate transactions during the import cycle.

Absa Bank Kenya Business Banking Director Renato D’Souza said the partnership would connect the importation process with asset finance through a structured arrangement.