📦 Freight & Logistics
Cargo & Logistics
at Kenya's Airports
JKIA is East Africa's primary cargo gateway — handling general freight, perishables, pharmaceuticals, dangerous goods, and live animals with 24-hour operations and dedicated cold chain infrastructure.
East Africa's Primary Cargo Gateway
Cargo Facilities at JKIA
JKIA's dedicated cargo terminal handles significant volumes of international freight with specialized infrastructure across multiple cargo categories.
Cargo terminal access
Access to the JKIA cargo terminal requires prior authorisation. Freight forwarders and shippers should coordinate with an authorised ground handler (see Ground Handlers below) for facility access, documentation, and handling arrangements.
Capability
Cargo Categories Handled
JKIA's cargo terminal is equipped to handle a wide range of freight categories, each with specific handling, storage, and documentation requirements.
General Cargo & Airfreight
Standard palletised and loose freight across all commodity types. The largest category by volume, handled through standard cargo terminal processes.
Perishables — Flowers, Produce & Fish
Kenya's horticultural and fresh produce export sector relies on rapid, temperature-controlled handling. JKIA provides dedicated cold rooms and expedited processing for time-sensitive perishable cargo.
Pharmaceutical & Cold Chain
Temperature-controlled handling for pharmaceutical shipments including vaccines and medical supplies, with monitored cold storage facilities meeting international pharma logistics standards.
Dangerous Goods (IATA DGR)
Handling capability for dangerous goods across IATA DGR classes 1–9, including segregation, specialized storage, and trained personnel for compliant acceptance and handling.
Live Animals & Equine Transport
IATA Live Animals Regulations (LAR) compliant facilities including climate-controlled holding areas, suited to livestock, equine transport, and wildlife conservation shipments.
High-Value & Secure Cargo
Secure vault storage and handling for high-value cargo including precious metals, currency, and valuable goods, with restricted access protocols and enhanced security screening.
Oversized & Out-of-Gauge Freight
Specialized handling for oversized cargo and out-of-gauge shipments requiring non-standard loading equipment, advance coordination, and specific aircraft configurations.
Mail & Express Courier
Dedicated handling for postal mail and express courier shipments (DHL, FedEx, UPS) with expedited customs processing pathways for time-sensitive express freight.
Transit & Transhipment Cargo
Transit cargo facilities for shipments routing through JKIA to onward destinations, including bonded transit sheds and streamlined transhipment procedures.
Network capability
Cargo at Other KAA Airports
While JKIA is the primary cargo gateway, several other KAA airports support regional cargo operations, particularly for horticultural exports and domestic logistics.
Mombasa
MIA handles regional cargo operations supporting the coastal region, including general cargo and limited cold chain facilities. Cargo capacity supports both passenger belly-hold and dedicated freighter operations on a smaller scale than JKIA.
Eldoret
Eldoret is a significant hub for horticultural exports from the North Rift Valley, with dedicated cargo handling for fresh flowers and produce destined for European markets. Cold chain infrastructure supports the region's flower export industry.
Kisumu
Kisumu supports regional cargo operations for the Lake Victoria basin, including fish exports and general freight serving Western Kenya and cross-border trade with neighbouring countries.
Nairobi
Wilson Airport supports domestic cargo operations via light aircraft, including humanitarian and relief logistics, small-scale freight, and time-sensitive courier operations to regional airstrips.
Storage & transit
Warehousing & Transit Facilities
JKIA provides a range of warehousing and transit shed facilities to support cargo storage, consolidation, and transhipment operations.
Available facilities
Bonded warehousing
Customs-bonded warehouse space for goods awaiting customs clearance, re-export, or transhipment — managed in coordination with KRA bonded warehouse regulations.
Cold storage & refrigerated warehousing
Multi-zone refrigerated storage supporting perishables, pharmaceuticals, and other temperature-sensitive cargo with continuous monitoring.
Transit sheds
Short-term storage for cargo in transit to onward destinations, supporting transhipment operations through JKIA's hub network.
Secure & high-value storage
Vault-grade secure storage for high-value cargo with restricted access and enhanced security protocols.
Booking warehousing capacity
Warehousing capacity is managed in coordination with authorised ground handlers operating at JKIA. To book warehousing capacity:
Contact an authorised ground handler
See Ground Handlers section below for contacts
Specify cargo type & storage requirements
Including temperature, volume, duration
Confirm availability & rates
Handler confirms space allocation and pricing
Regulatory process
Customs & Documentation
Customs clearance for cargo passing through JKIA is managed by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). KAA provides the physical infrastructure within which the customs process operates.
The customs clearance process
Pre-arrival documentation
Cargo manifests and customs declarations are submitted electronically through KRA's Integrated Customs Management System (iCMS) ahead of arrival, enabling pre-clearance processing where possible.
Cargo arrival & manifest verification
Upon arrival, the ground handler offloads cargo into the cargo terminal and verifies the consignment against the submitted manifest. Discrepancies are flagged to KRA and the consignee's agent.
Customs declaration & assessment
The importer's clearing agent submits a customs declaration (entry) through iCMS. KRA assesses duty and tax liability based on the declared value, classification, and origin of the goods.
Inspection (where required)
A risk-based selection process determines whether cargo requires physical inspection by KRA officers. Inspections take place within the cargo terminal's designated inspection areas.
Duty payment & release
Once duties and taxes are paid (or the consignment is confirmed duty-exempt), KRA issues a release order. The cargo terminal operator then releases the cargo to the consignee or their agent.
Cargo collection / onward transport
Released cargo is collected by the consignee or transferred to onward transport. For transit and transhipment cargo, the process follows bonded transit procedures to the destination point.
🛃 Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA)
All customs declarations, duty assessments, and clearance decisions are managed by KRA through the iCMS platform. KAA does not process customs declarations — our role is to provide the cargo terminal infrastructure within which the customs process operates.
External link — Kenya Revenue Authority
Documentation checklist
Air Waybill (AWB) — original or electronic
Commercial invoice and packing list
Certificate of Origin (where applicable)
Import declaration form (IDF) — for imports
Phytosanitary / health certificates (for plant & animal products)
Dangerous Goods Declaration (DGD) — where applicable
Permits for controlled / restricted goods
Authorised operators
Ground Handlers at JKIA
Cargo handling at JKIA is conducted by authorised ground handling companies. Freight forwarders and shippers coordinate directly with these handlers for cargo acceptance, storage, and release.
Becoming an authorised ground handler
Companies wishing to provide ground handling services at KAA airports must meet KAA's operational, safety, and licensing requirements. Ground handling contracts are awarded through the Suppliers & Procurement portal. View current ground handling tenders →
Commercial
Cargo-Related Business Opportunities
KAA periodically opens commercial and infrastructure opportunities related to cargo operations — from warehousing concessions to cargo-handling contracts and infrastructure development.
Warehousing development
Opportunities to develop and operate additional warehousing capacity at JKIA, including cold storage and bonded facilities, as cargo volumes grow.
Business opportunities →Ground handling contracts
Formal procurement processes for cargo ground handling licences are published through the Suppliers & Procurement portal as they become available.
View tenders →Cargo infrastructure investment
Major cargo infrastructure expansion forms part of KAA's broader investment programme. Infrastructure investors can explore the investment context for cargo capacity growth.
Investment & PPP →Get in touch
Cargo Contacts
Our cargo operations team is available 24 hours to support cargo coordination, facility enquiries, and operational issues.
JKIA Cargo Operations
+254 20 827 5200
24 hours · 365 days
cargo.jkia@kaa.go.ke
Response within 1 business day
Location
JKIA Cargo Terminal
Cargo Village, North Side, JKIA
Frequently asked questions
Submit a cargo enquiry
Use this form for facility enquiries, warehousing requests, or general cargo questions. We respond within 1 business day.