What is the usual lot size for bitumen into Mombasa?

Drummed lots of 20 to 40 containers (about 400 to 800 tonnes) are common for importers; contractors take smaller call-offs from importers' stock. Bulk parcels need heated tankage at the receiver.

Can the same cargo serve Uganda or Rwanda?

Yes. Mombasa is the Northern Corridor gateway; drums move by road or rail to Kampala and Kigali under transit bond. Landed cost inland is the sea price plus corridor transport.

Which grade does Kenya specify?

Penetration 60/70 is the reference grade and the basis for pricing; 80/100 is used on lighter-traffic roads and for emulsion manufacture.

Does CBIL name the origin before quoting?

The refinery of origin is stated on the certificate of origin and confirmed by the inspector at filling; we quote against that documentation, not against a brand.

East Africa · Kenya

Bitumen CFR Mombasa, Kenya

Drummed bitumen through Mombasa for Kenya and the Northern Corridor

Kenya declared 39,850 tonnes of bitumen imports in 2024 from nine origins, with the UAE the largest at 37 per cent, Kuwait 12 per cent, Oman 9 per cent, and China, Türkiye, Bahrain and India behind them; declared landed values ran from about USD 440 to 630 per tonne CIF depending on origin and packaging. The port of Mombasa receives the product mostly in 180 kg drums, and it is also the gateway for Uganda, which declared 16,583 tonnes in 2024 — 85 per cent from the Gulf, with Italy and Spain the only European origins — so a Mombasa importer is in practice supplying two markets.

CBIL works this lane for importers, emulsion and cutback manufacturers and road contractors who buy for their own account. We broker penetration 60/70 and 80/100 in new steel drums, and bulk where a receiver has heated storage, on CFR or CIF Mombasa terms with inspection at filling and the refinery named on the certificate of origin. A landed price in Mombasa is a freight-and-risk question as much as a product question, which is why we ask a buyer three things before anything is quoted: the quantity and grade, the delivery basis, and whether the fourth quarter is already covered.

Need the ship as well? Our chartering desk prices Türkiye and Gulf to East Africa bitumen freight on LaycanDesk.

The market in figures

Kenya imports, 2024: 39,850 t across 9 origins
Largest declared origins: UAE 37% · Kuwait 12% · Oman 9% · China 4% · Türkiye 4%
Declared CIF range, 2024: about USD 440–630 per tonne by origin
Uganda via Mombasa, 2024: 16,583 t, 85% Gulf origins, Italy 6%
Form: Mostly 180 kg drums; bulk to heated storage

Official trade data; sources listed below. Landed values are the importing country's declared CIF, not CBIL prices.

Questions buyers ask

What is the usual lot size for bitumen into Mombasa?: Drummed lots of 20 to 40 containers (about 400 to 800 tonnes) are common for importers; contractors take smaller call-offs from importers' stock. Bulk parcels need heated tankage at the receiver.
Can the same cargo serve Uganda or Rwanda?: Yes. Mombasa is the Northern Corridor gateway; drums move by road or rail to Kampala and Kigali under transit bond. Landed cost inland is the sea price plus corridor transport.
Which grade does Kenya specify?: Penetration 60/70 is the reference grade and the basis for pricing; 80/100 is used on lighter-traffic roads and for emulsion manufacture.
Does CBIL name the origin before quoting?: The refinery of origin is stated on the certificate of origin and confirmed by the inspector at filling; we quote against that documentation, not against a brand.

Sources

UN Comtrade, HS 2713.20, reporter 404 (Kenya), 2024: 39,850 t; UAE 14,575 t at USD 513; Kuwait 4,849 t at 444; Oman 3,608 t at 631; China 1,728 t; Türkiye 1,508 t; Bahrain 499 t; India 498 t.
UN Comtrade, HS 2713.20, reporter 800 (Uganda), 2024: 16,583 t; UAE 9,317 t; Bahrain 4,163 t; Saudi Arabia 1,044 t; Italy 991 t at USD 700; Spain 185 t.
Drum practice at Mombasa: stated to CBIL by a Kenyan importer, September 2026.