Northern Corridor: Mombasa to Kigali
- Mombasa to Kigali by road
- 1,645 km 1
- Road transit time, January to June 2026
- 131.2 hours average, 99-hour target 1
- Transit time target
- 60 hours per 1,000 km, based on 40 km/h 1
- Road freight rate, Mombasa to Rwanda and Burundi, 2024
- US$2 per km average 3
- Rwanda transit cargo through Mombasa, 2025
- 839,366 tonnes, 5.3% of transit volume 2
- Mombasa port container dwell time, 2025
- 106.7 hours, 48-hour target 2
- Rwanda Revenue Authority customs release time, January to June 2026
- 35.2 hours 1
Road distances and transit times
The Northern Corridor Transport Observatory measures truck trips with the Regional Electronic Cargo Tracking System. Its report for January to June 2026 sets a target of 60 hours per 1,000 km under normal conditions, based on an average speed of 40 km/h 1. All Rwanda routes in the report took longer than the target 1.
The report says the routes to Rwanda through Mirama Hills and Katuna were the fastest, with the lowest delays 1. The 80 km stretch from Gatuna to Kigali had 37 hours of delay per 100 km 1.
| Route, January to June 2026 | Distance | Average time | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mombasa to Kigali 1 | 1,645 km 1 | 131.2 hours 1 | 99 hours 1 |
| Mombasa to Katuna 1 | 1,601 km 1 | 147 hours 1 | 96 hours 1 |
| Mombasa to Mirama Hills 1 | 1,537 km 1 | 119 hours 1 | 92 hours 1 |
| Nairobi ICD to Katuna 1 | 1,120 km 1 | 92 hours 1 | 67 hours 1 |
| Kampala to Gatuna 1 | 432 km 1 | 40 hours 1 | 26 hours 1 |
| Gatuna to Kigali 1 | 80 km 1 | 34.3 hours 1 | 5 hours 1 |
| Mombasa to Rubavu 1 | 1,706 km 1 | 136.4 hours 1 | 102 hours 1 |
| Mombasa to Rusizi 1 | 1,856 km 1 | 160.5 hours 1 | 111 hours 1 |
Freight rates and road charges
The observatory report covering 2024 says road freight from Mombasa to destinations in Burundi and Rwanda averaged US$2 per km 3. It gives a tanker rate of US$2,400 to Kigali from the Nakuru, Eldoret or Kisumu depots 3. The 2025 report gives road freight rates of US$1.8 to US$2.4 per km on key routes in Kenya and Uganda, with no separate Rwanda figure 2.
Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda are among the countries COMESA lists as implementing its harmonised road transit charges. These are US$10 per 100 km for trucks with more than three axles and US$6 per 100 km for trucks with up to three axles 4.
Port charges, free time and deposits
The Kenya Ports Authority started applying its Tariff Book 2025 on 22 December 2025, as reported by Anthony Kitimo in Business Daily 8. An imported container left beyond the free storage period now pays KSh 9,000 to KSh 15,000 a day, as reported by Reginald Mosagwe for Kenyans.co.ke 7.
Free time and deposits for the container itself come from the shipping line. Maersk's Kenya import page lists 38 days of free time for transit cargo to Rwanda. After that it charges US$26 a day for a 20-foot dry container in the first seven days, rising to US$65 a day after 14 days (provider page) 6. The same page lists a transit deposit of KSh 75,000 or US$750 for a 20-foot dry container and KSh 150,000 or US$1,500 for a 40-foot dry container 6.
Time in Mombasa port and in Rwanda
Containers spent an average of 106.7 hours in Mombasa port in 2025, more than double the 48-hour target. Customs release took 57 hours on average and the time after release took 79 hours 2. Import container dwell time was 105 hours from January to June 2026 1.
The Rwanda Revenue Authority measures its own clearance times. From January to June 2026 its customs release time was 35.2 hours, delay processing time 37.9 hours and after release time 25.8 hours 1. In 2024 these were 34, 44 and 64 hours 3. Containerised cargo dwell time at the MAGERWA inland depot in Kigali averaged 22.71 hours in 2024 3. The Kigali Logistics Platform, run by DP World, and MAGERWA handle over 50,000 TEUs a year 2.
Cargo volumes and customs regime
- Rwanda transit cargo through Mombasa was 520,201 tonnes in 2023 and 683,259 tonnes in 2024 3.
- It reached 839,366 tonnes in 2025, a 22.8% rise and 5.3% of Mombasa transit volume 2.
- From January to June 2026 it was 475,173 tonnes, up 30% on 365,582 tonnes in the same period of 2025 1.
- Rwanda is part of the EAC Single Customs Territory with Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Taxes on duty-paid cargo are paid in the destination country in its own currency, and goods move from the port under a single regional bond 5.
Common questions
How far is Kigali from Mombasa by road?
1,645 km, according to the Northern Corridor Transport Observatory 1.
How long does a truck take from Mombasa to Kigali?
An average of 131.2 hours from January to June 2026, against a 99-hour target 1.
What does road freight from Mombasa to Kigali cost per km?
The observatory report for 2024 gives an average of US$2 per km for destinations in Rwanda and Burundi 3.
Where are Rwandan import taxes paid under the Single Customs Territory?
In Rwanda, the destination country, in its national currency 5.
How long do containers stay in Mombasa port?
An average of 106.7 hours in 2025, against a 48-hour target 2.
Rules and fees change. Check the official site linked above before you apply or pay. Spotted an error? Email [email protected] with the official link.
Sources
- Northern Corridor Transit and Transport Coordination Authority: Northern Corridor Transport Observatory biannual report, January to June 2026 (2026)
- NCTTCA and TradeMark Africa: Northern Corridor Transport Observatory Report 2025, 21st edition (2026)
- NCTTCA and TradeMark Africa: Northern Corridor Transport Observatory Report, 20th edition, covering 2024 (2025)
- COMESA: Trade facilitation programme, road transit charges and RCTG Carnet (accessed 20 October 2026)
- Kenya Revenue Authority: Single Customs Territory FAQs (accessed 20 October 2026)
- Maersk, provider page: Shipping to and from Kenya, import information (accessed 20 October 2026)
- Kenyans.co.ke: KPA effects new cargo handling fees, by Reginald Mosagwe (22 December 2025)
- Business Daily: KPA begins rollout of revised tariffs at Mombasa and Lamu ports, by Anthony Kitimo (21 December 2025)
Related
- Northern Corridor: Mombasa to Kampala
Road and rail distances, transit times, rail rates and port dwell times for cargo moving from Mombasa to Kampala, from Northern Corridor data.
- Central Corridor: Dar es Salaam to Kigali
Tanzania Ports Authority charges for transit containers, free storage days, road user charges and Dar es Salaam to Kigali transit times and costs.
- The EAC Single Customs Territory explained
How the EAC Single Customs Territory works, where duties are paid, which bonds apply and what official studies say about clearance times.
- Shipping line container deposits in East Africa
What a shipping line container deposit is, how lines collect and refund it at Mombasa and Dar es Salaam, and what regulators have said.
- Cargo dwell time at Mombasa and Dar es Salaam
How dwell time is measured at Mombasa and Dar es Salaam, the official figures and targets, and how time in port turns into storage charges.
- Port charges at Mombasa and Dar es Salaam
Selected published container charges at Mombasa and Dar es Salaam, with the date of each tariff and where to read it.