Need advice on shipping to Kenya

kelg99

I am a trustee for a small charity Mercy Rescue Trust. We have a baby rescue centre in Kitale, Kenya. I am looking to send a container out there in february as I have so much to take out. I am also looking at taking a minibus out for out children to get to and from school. Can anyone advise me on how to go about doing this? I could do with some contacts that can help so I am not just going through a company that I know nothing about.
Is it possible to get a minibus in a container and fill the rest with clothes, toys and other baby related items?

COOLTRIKERCHICK

when we export we use this company

http://www.freightagency.com/

If you tell them EXACTLY what is going to go into the container, and all the relevent details etc, they will help you and tell you the amount it will cost you.

Please be honest with what is going in there, as some items, even though we think of them as 'the norm' and nothing wrong with them etc, might be banned from other countries, and if your container is searched may get you into trouble.

Savvy_Sue

One fundamental, which I'm sure you've thought of, is that the minibus needs to be one for which spare parts are going to be reasonably easily available out there ...

But I'd check what the import duties etc were going to be like: it might be better to source a vehicle on the sub-continent, which I know is more difficult if you are here not there, but there is a danger of sending out a white elephant.

T._x

Hi there

I am involved with a small charity that has set-up an orphanage and school in Kenya, and have just returned from a 10 day visit (Central Province). We don't have any experience of shipping containers, so unable to offer advice on the process, but would be interested to see if that option is cost effective.

A few things to be considered:-

• Import / excise duty and VAT on goods (and the vehicle).
• Customs / clearing agents.
• Loading a vehicle into a container correctly to avoid any damage.
• If not shipping a mini bus some form of transport would need to be hired / arranged from the Coast (presumably Mombasa).

Sue raises a valid point on readily available spares and perhaps sourcing a bus sub-continent. The local who manages and co-ordinates the work in Kenya for our charity advised that an older Matutu would be approx 5000GBP to purchase, which to me is quite expensive, but taking all things into consideration may be more economical.

It's perhaps worth getting some information from 'TaNash Project', as I see from the Mercy Rescue Trust website that they are the first recipients of their goodie truck. That will be a big boost to your Centre.

I've come to realise after visiting Kenya although folk are incredibly generous in donating goods at this end, the best option is sometimes to sell certain items here (car boot etc) and transfer the money over. You need to rely on your ground people actually coming and saying what is necessary. At the same time it's worth bearing in mind that the quality isn't always as good.

Something I also wasn't aware of until the trip is that many of the second hand clothes, shoes that people donate through charities (even the larger ones) are being sold on to traders and end up on the small market stalls. I was one of those niave people that thought they were handed out to the poor.