Who buys urea in Kenya?

Private importers who bag at Mombasa and supply agro-dealers, and the suppliers who win National Cereals and Produce Board consignment tenders for the subsidy programme. CBIL quotes private importers and suppliers with a named requirement; it does not bid in government tenders.

Both move. A bulk Handysize cargo bagged at Mombasa is the cheaper route for an importer with a bagging line; 50 kg bags loaded at origin suit a buyer without one and travel as breakbulk or in containers. Bags are woven polypropylene with a polyethylene liner, printed to order.

Which origins can replace Qatari urea?

Oman is the nearest, loading at Sur and Sohar outside the strait. Egypt loads on the Mediterranean and reaches Mombasa through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, and Algeria supplied 12% in 2024. Each offer names the producer and load port.

What documents does a cargo need for Kenya?

Commercial invoice, bill of lading, certificate of origin, the inspector's certificates of quality and weight, and a certificate of conformity issued before export under Kenya's verification of conformity programme. The importer confirms the current duty and levy treatment with its clearing agent.

Can CBIL also fix the ship?

Yes. Our chartering desk, LaycanDesk, prices fertiliser tonnage to Mombasa and Dar es Salaam, so a CFR and an FOB figure can be shown side by side.

East Africa · Kenya

Urea Suppliers CFR Mombasa, Kenya

Top-dressing urea for the long and short rains, 70% of it loaded in Qatar before the strait was restricted

Kenya declared 214,500 t of urea imports in 2025 at a landed value of USD 97.5 million, about USD 455 per tonne, up from 133,200 t in 2024. Qatar supplied 150,500 t of the 2025 total, 70%; in 2024 Qatar supplied 53%, Saudi Arabia 21% and Algeria 12%. The Strait of Hormuz has been severely restricted since 28 February 2026: loadings inside the Gulf move irregularly and are confirmed cargo by cargo. Urea is the top-dressing nitrogen for maize, and the buying follows two seasons: the long rains from March to May and the short rains from October to December. The government subsidy programme buys through consignment tenders run by the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB); the 2025-2026 tender put top-dressing urea for the 2026 long rains at 600,000 bags of 50 kg, about 30,000 t, delivered to NCPB depots, and the subsidised bag price was cut to KSh 2,000 from September 2026. The rest of the market is private importers supplying agro-dealers. Kenya's fertiliser imports in the first quarter of 2026 were 407,325 t at an average landed cost of KSh 73,747 per tonne, the highest since early 2023.

Cargoes discharge at Mombasa, where the grain and fertiliser berths take about 11.5 m of draft and the deepest berths about 15 m, by grab to bagging plants alongside; inland delivery to the maize counties adds road or rail freight of the same order as the sea freight. Imports clear against a pre-export verification of conformity to Kenyan standards. CBIL brokers granular urea (46% N min, biuret 1% max, moisture 0.5% max) in 15,000 to 30,000 t bulk lots and in 50 kg bags CFR Mombasa, loading Sur and Sohar in Oman, the Egyptian ports and Arzew in Algeria, with SGS or Intertek certification at load and the producer named on the certificate of origin. An importer that states its tonnage, packing, laycan and LC-opening bank gets a firm answer; one without them gets a question first.

Also on this lane: DAP 18-46-0

Need the ship as well? Our chartering desk prices DAP and urea freight to Mombasa and Dar es Salaam on LaycanDesk.

The market in figures

Declared imports: 2025: 214,500 t, USD 97.5 million, USD 455/t · 2024: 133,200 t
Largest origin, 2025: Qatar 150,500 t (70%)
Subsidy programme: NCPB consignment tender: 600,000 bags of urea for the 2026 long rains · subsidised bag KSh 2,000 from September 2026
2026 market: Q1 fertiliser imports 407,325 t at KSh 73,747/t landed, highest since early 2023
Discharge: Mombasa, fertiliser berths about 11.5 m draft, grab to bagging plants
Seasons: Long rains March-May · short rains October-December

Landed values are the importing country's declared CIF, not CBIL prices.

Questions buyers ask

Who buys urea in Kenya?: Private importers who bag at Mombasa and supply agro-dealers, and the suppliers who win National Cereals and Produce Board consignment tenders for the subsidy programme. CBIL quotes private importers and suppliers with a named requirement; it does not bid in government tenders.
Bulk or bagged?: Both move. A bulk Handysize cargo bagged at Mombasa is the cheaper route for an importer with a bagging line; 50 kg bags loaded at origin suit a buyer without one and travel as breakbulk or in containers. Bags are woven polypropylene with a polyethylene liner, printed to order.
Which origins can replace Qatari urea?: Oman is the nearest, loading at Sur and Sohar outside the strait. Egypt loads on the Mediterranean and reaches Mombasa through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, and Algeria supplied 12% in 2024. Each offer names the producer and load port.
What documents does a cargo need for Kenya?: Commercial invoice, bill of lading, certificate of origin, the inspector's certificates of quality and weight, and a certificate of conformity issued before export under Kenya's verification of conformity programme. The importer confirms the current duty and levy treatment with its clearing agent.
Can CBIL also fix the ship?: Yes. Our chartering desk, LaycanDesk, prices fertiliser tonnage to Mombasa and Dar es Salaam, so a CFR and an FOB figure can be shown side by side.