OFFICE HOURS: MON - FRI 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM SAT 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM
+254 702 363 346 +254 789 656 410
Mashiara Park Loresho Off Kaptagat Road NAIROBI
Subject: EFFECTIVE TODAY: Important Update Regarding VAT on Services
Date: 19 January 2026
Dear Valued Customer,
Further to our circular dated 5 January 2026, we are writing to confirm that effective today, 19 January 2026, KeBay has implemented the mandatory 16% Value Added Tax (VAT) on all service fees in compliance with the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) directive.
What this means for your shipments today: Any new shipping requests or service payments made from today onwards will reflect the 16% VAT charge on the service fee portion of your invoice.
-
Transparency: The VAT amount will be clearly itemised on your invoice.
-
Compliance: This charge allows us to remain fully compliant with Kenyan tax laws and ensures the secure, uninterrupted movement of your goods.
-
eTIMS: As previously noted, we are finalising our integration with the KRA eTIMS system to provide you with digital tax receipts shortly, enabling registered businesses to reclaim this as input tax.
-
We understand that price changes are never welcome, but this step is essential for us to continue providing the reliable, legal, and secure shipping service you trust.
If you have any specific questions regarding how this applies to a pending order, please do not hesitate to contact our support team.
Thank you for your continued loyalty and understanding.
Best regards,
The KeBay Team www.kebay.co.ke
=================================================================
*Subject: Good News: Local Payments for Assisted Purchases (APS) have been reinstated!* Date: 09 January 2026
Dear Valued Customer,
I am writing to share some positive news regarding our *Assisted Purchasing Service (APS)*.
Following our message on 2nd December, we have held further detailed consultations with our tax advisors. We are pleased to inform you that we have successfully clarified our local payment processes, meaning *you can once again pay for your international purchases locally in Kenya.*
You are no longer required to make deposits into our UK bank account for these purchases.
### How the process works now:
To remain fully compliant with KRA regulations, we have made a small adjustment to how we calculate our service fee. We now apply *16% VAT only to our commission (admin fee)*, rather than the total purchase amount.
* *Purchase Cost (Reimbursement):* Paid locally in KES (No VAT applied).
* *Service/Admin Fee:* Kes 1,000.
* *VAT on Service Fee (16%):* Kes 160.
* *Total Service Fee Payable:* *Kes 1,160.*
The delivery service fee can continue to be paid via M-Pesa or local bank transfer upon the arrival of your goods.
### Why this is better for you:
* *Convenience:* Use M-Pesa or your local bank as usual.
* *Cost-Effective:* Avoid international bank transfer fees and complex UK deposits.
* *Transparency:* You only pay tax on our small service fee, not the high value of your overseas items.
We apologise for any inconvenience our previous update may have caused. Our goal is to make shopping from the UK and beyond as seamless as possible for you, and we are glad to have found a solution that keeps our services local and accessible.
Should you have any questions or a pending order you would like to process, please feel free to contact *Johnny on 0789 656 410*
Thank you for your continued loyalty to Kebay.
Yours sincerely,
LK
Managing Director, Kebay
(http://www.kebay.co.ke
info@kebay.co.ke
0789 656 410
========================================================
Subject: Important Update: VAT Implementation and eTIMS Compliance at KeBay Date: 5 January
To our valued KeBay customers,
At KeBay, we are committed to transparency and keeping you informed about changes that affect your shipping experience.
To remain fully compliant with the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) directive, KeBay will be registering for VAT effective from January 2026. In accordance with these regulations, a 16% VAT will be applied to our service fees.
How we calculate your fees
We want to ensure your costs remain as low as possible. VAT is only applicable to a small portion of our fee
Example: 20–30 Kg Category
Here is the breakdown for a standard 20–30 Kg shipment to show how this works:
-
Current Total Fee: £10.99
-
New Total Fee: £11.69
VAT Reclaims and eTIMS Receipts
For our business customers and individuals registered for VAT, please note that you will be able to reclaim this VAT as input tax in your regular returns.
To support your tax accounting and ensure full transparency, KeBay will also be able to provide official eTIMS receipts shortly. This ensures your transactions are digitally recorded with the KRA for easy tax filing.
Why is this change happening?
This is a mandatory legal requirement for all registered entities under the KRA directive. This step ensures that KeBay continues to operate as a fully licensed and compliant service, allowing us to guarantee the safe and legal transit of your goods from the UK to Kenya.
We appreciate your continued loyalty and look forward to serving you throughout 2026 and beyond.
Best regards,
The KeBay Team
================================================================================
Dear Valued Customer, 2nd of December 2025
In reference to our Assisted Purchasing Service (APS), unfortunately, effective immediately, and due to changes in financial and tax regulations, we are no longer able to accept local payments in Kenya for overseas Assisted Purchases.
Going forward, all international purchases using our APS must be settled via our UK bank account. In the first instance, we recommend using your local bank card or PayPal to purchase and ship to our overseas warehouse, as do the majority of customers. If this option is not feasible, please deposit the full payment into our Lloyds Bank account in the UK, or make contact with us on 0789656410 and speak with Johnny.
Upon receipt of payment in our UK bank account, we will proceed with the purchase and issue a UK invoice.
The delivery service fee payment remains the same as before and can be made in Kenya via mpesa or bank to bank transfer.
Thank you for your understanding.
Yours sincerely,
Louis
Managing Director
Www.kebay.co.ke
Info@kebay.co.ke
0789 656 410
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Esteemed KeBay Customer, 31/10/2025
As the festive season approaches, we know you’re already planning your online shopping for Christmas gifts from the UK, USA, Germany, and beyond. At KeBay Shipping Ltd, we are dedicated to ensuring your parcels arrive swiftly and reliably here in Kenya, even during our busiest time of the year.
To help guarantee your gifts and goods are under the tree in time for Christmas, we strongly advise you to start planning your purchases now.
We highly recommend placing your final online orders by Thursday, November 28th. This lead time allows for potential delays in the overseas vendor’s delivery service.
For absolute peace of mind, please ensure all your packages arrive at your dedicated KeBay warehouse address (UK, USA, Germany, etc.) no later than Wednesday, December 4th.
Our final, non-negotiable hard cut-off date for goods to arrive at our overseas receiving address is Thursday, December 11th. Any packages arriving after this date cannot be guaranteed for delivery before Christmas Day.
We appreciate your cooperation in planning early, which allows us to maintain our high standards of fast, secure, and reliable shipping, connecting your business and family to the world.
Please also note that our offices will be closed between December 24th and January 5th. We encourage you to arrange any necessary collections or enquiries before this period.
Also, kindly note that the first air freight shipment for 2026 will be approximately around the 19th January 2026.
If you have any questions, please contact our dedicated customer support team.
Many thanks,
Louis
Managing Director
0789656410
KeBay Shipping Ltd
============================================================
Nairobi Delivery: Now Lightning Fast with Courii! 15 October 2025
To our valued Kebay customer,
We are thrilled to announce a major upgrade to your local delivery experience!
KeBay (www.kebay.co.ke) has partnered with Courii (www.courii.com) to introduce a dedicated Boda Boda (motorcycle) express service for orders within Nairobi.
This service means budget-friendly, on-demand speed and professional handling for your purchases, ensuring your goods arrive faster than ever.
Key Highlights:
-
Boda Boda Express: Quick, reliable motorcycle delivery in Nairobi.
-
Courii App: Courii also offers a dedicated app for advanced tracking and managing deliveries.
Thank you for shopping with us.
The KeBay Team
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Important Update Regarding International Shipping of Electronics
Dear Valued KeBay Customer, 25 September 2025
We are writing to you today with an important update to help you get the best value on your purchases from the USA Germany and the UK.
As you may know, KeBay helps you shop from around the world and have your items delivered right to your doorstep here in Kenya. Recently, we’ve observed that many customers are ordering electronics and electrical equipment that contain lithium-ion batteries.
While these devices are essential in our daily lives, many international airlines now classify lithium-ion batteries as “dangerous goods.” This requires special handling, specific packaging, and additional documentation. In some cases, these measures can add significant surcharges to your shipping costs, especially for items coming from the USA and Germany.
This is why we strongly recommend you consider buying your electronics and devices from the UK. While the purchase price of an item from the UK might sometimes be slightly higher, the savings on shipping fees and the absence of these extra battery surcharges will often make the total cost to you much lower.
For example, when you buy electronics such as:
-
Headphones
-
Speakers
-
Power banks
-
Smartwatches
-
Laptops and tablets
-
Handsets
-
Digital cameras
...from the UK, you can avoid these extra fees, resulting in a more affordable final price.
We want to ensure your shopping experience with KeBay is as smooth and cost-effective as possible. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to our customer support team.
Thank you for being a part of the KeBay community.
Sincerely,
The Kebay Team
0789656410
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Important Update Regarding Your Shipments with KeBay
Dear Valued KeBay Customer, 24 September 2025
At KeBay, we are committed to providing you with a reliable and secure shipping service. To ensure the integrity of our operations and maintain a smooth customs clearance process for all our customers, we are implementing a new security policy.
Unfortunately, we have had a few isolated instances where individuals have attempted to use our service to intentionally ship banned products and controlled substances via our air route. These attempts have led to significant disruptions for our clearing agents and our company, which can in turn impact the efficiency of your deliveries.
To prevent this and protect our collective interests, we are introducing the following mandatory procedures, effective immediately:
· Payment Name Must Match Parcel Name: The name of the individual who makes the payment for a shipment must exactly match the name of the person listed on the parcel.
· ID Verification: If the names on the payment and the parcel do not match, the payee must present a valid form of their own identification (ID) to our team for verification and sign for the parcel.
· Advance ID Submission: You may send a clear copy of your ID via WhatsApp to our official number in advance. The name on the ID must correspond with the payee's name.
· Third-Party Pickup: We will not release parcels to a third party unless we have a copy of the payee's ID and valid mobile number on file beforehand. The third-party recipient will also be required to sign for the parcel.
· Valid Mobile Number: All payees must provide a valid mobile number for communication and verification purposes.
These measures are crucial for maintaining a secure and uninterrupted service for every single one of our customers. We understand this is a change, but your cooperation is essential and greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your understanding and for your continued trust in KeBay.
LK Managing Director KeBay Shipping www.kebay.co.ke
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Valued Customer, 22 September 2025
At KeBay Shipping Ltd, our commitment has always been to provide you with the most reliable and affordable shipping solutions. In our continuous effort to enhance your experience and ensure you receive the best possible value, we are thrilled to announce a substantial reduction in our shipping rates from China and South Africa.
We have successfully negotiated new partnerships and streamlined our logistics, allowing us to pass these significant cost savings directly to you. We believe this is a crucial step in making international shipping more accessible and economical for all our clients.
Effective immediately, the following price changes are in effect:
Shipping from China (Air & Sea): We have reduced our air freight rates rates from China from $19.99 to just $15.99 per kg. This represents a remarkable 20% reduction, solidifying our position as the most competitive shipping option from China. Sea rates have also been reduced by a similar amount.
Shipping from South Africa (By Land): Our overland shipping rates from South Africa have also been significantly reduced.
The rate for alcoholic beverages has been lowered from Kes 600 to Kes 475, a 21% decrease.
The rate for non-alcoholic items has been reduced from Kes 500 to Kes 375, representing a 25% reduction.
These new rates are our way of ensuring that you get the best possible deal, whether you are importing commercial goods or personal items. We are confident that these changes will help you grow your business and save on your personal imports.
Thank you for your continued trust in KeBay Shipping Ltd. We look forward to serving you with these new, unbeatable rates.
For more information, please do not hesitate to contact our customer service team or visit our website at www.kebay.co.ke.
Sincerely,
The KeBay Shipping Ltd Team
0702363346/0789656410
https://www.kebay.co.ke/