Kenya Tries to Calm Fears Radiation Scans Will Slow East Africa’s Main Port

Kenya’s government has moved to calm importers’ fears that tighter cargo controls, such as radiation screening, will slow trade at Mombasa. The port is East Africa’s main sea gateway, and the reassurance followed a Nairobi meeting with the head of Kenya’s nuclear regulator.

Kenya’s government has sought to allay fears that tighter import and export controls could stifle trade and delay cargo clearance. James Keter, director-general of the Kenya Nuclear Regulatory Authority (KNRA), met importers and traders in Nairobi on Thursday, Sept. 24.

What the government told traders about tighter cargo controls

The Standard, a Nairobi daily, reported that the government moved to ease concerns that the reforms would hurt trade and slow clearance. The KNRA is the state body that oversees radiation safety and nuclear security, including licences to import radioactive material.

Keter’s agency is behind a disputed new control: a plan to screen all cargo entering or leaving Kenya for radiation. Importers and shipping groups have challenged its timing, cost and scope since April.

It was not clear whether the Sept. 24 meeting changed the rule’s start date, fee or scope. For businesses moving goods through Kenya, those details matter well beyond the Kenyan market.

Why Mombasa is the region’s cargo nerve centre

Mombasa is the main sea gateway for Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and eastern DR Congo. Transit cargo for these neighbours makes up about 30% of the port’s throughput, shippers say.

The port handles about 2.2 million containers a year, according to The Star, a Kenyan daily. Checking every one of them is the core worry for the Shippers Council of Eastern Africa (SCEA), which represents importers and exporters.

Traders are already on edge. A separate tax-authority rule requiring export declarations, enforced from Sept. 1, held up cargo at Mombasa, clearing agents said.

The China factor in Kenya’s logistics network

A 2025 study by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, a US Defense Department research institute, mapped China’s role in African ports. It said Chinese state-owned firms are builders, financiers or operators at an estimated 78 ports across 32 African countries.

The study named Mombasa among seven ports whose design could suit future Chinese military use. Kenya’s Chinese-financed Standard Gauge Railway links the port to Nairobi and Naivasha.

That context helps explain why regulatory changes at Mombasa attract international attention. For investors and expat professionals, the port’s reliability is a signal about the wider business climate.

Read more about this dynamic in our pillar on Africa: The New Scramble.

What the radiation screening rule requires

In an April notice, the KNRA said all cargo entering or leaving Kenyan ports must be screened for nuclear and radioactive material. Containers are to pass through radiation monitors at Mombasa and at inland container depots.

The monitors detect gamma and neutron radiation without opening containers. Any legitimate radioactive shipment must carry a KNRA import licence and the correct tariff codes.

The rule was due to start on May 1, then was pushed back to July after shippers protested. In a July 14 note on a meeting with Keter, the SCEA said the rollout had been deferred for more preparation.

Who gains and who loses from the new oversight

The proposed screening fee is Sh1,000 (about US$7.72) per container, according to the SCEA and Kenyan press reports. The SCEA has asked for it to be cut to Sh200 (about US$1.54).

If every Mombasa container paid, the KNRA would collect over Sh2.2 billion (about US$17 million) a year, The Star calculated. Conversions use 129.5 shillings per US dollar (open.er-api.com, Sept. 25, 2026).

Time may matter more than money. The port tariff gives only five free days of storage, so screening delays could quickly mean extra charges.

Shippers want transit cargo and exports exempted, and screening targeted by risk rather than applied to every container. Smaller traders with thin margins usually feel such costs most.

What to watch next at Mombasa and beyond

The immediate test is whether the KNRA publishes a firm start date, a final fee and clear rules for transit cargo. Traders will also watch clearance times at Mombasa for any sign of new delays.

Longer term, the rules could shape Kenya’s position as East Africa’s logistics hub. SCEA chief executive Agayo Ogambi has warned that Mombasa could lose regional cargo if rival ports become more competitive.

For expats and investors, the story is about more than paperwork. It is about whether Kenya can pair tighter security checks with the speed that modern supply chains demand.

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