Northern Corridor: Mombasa to Juba

Route and transit times

The Northern Corridor Transit and Transport Coordination Authority (NCTTCA) tracks truck times with the Regional Electronic Cargo Tracking System. Its report for January to June 2026 gives these averages ¹. The observatory reports opened for this page do not give one figure for the full Mombasa to Juba trip ^1,23.

How times have changed

For 2024, the observatory reported average times of 126 hours from Mombasa to Nimule, 105 hours to Kampala, 80 hours to Malaba and 73 hours to Busia ². The January to June 2026 figures were 145 hours to Elegu, 118 hours to Kampala, 75 hours to Malaba and 92 hours to Busia ¹. The two reports cover different periods and the 2024 figure names Nimule where the 2026 figure names Elegu ^1,2.

The 20th edition says the Nimule to Juba road has deteriorated and needs improvement. It says roads in South Sudan are unpaved and in poor condition ². South Sudan has one static weighbridge, at Nimule ³.

Time in Mombasa port

Containerised cargo spent an average of 106.7 hours in Mombasa port in 2025, against a 48-hour target ³. For January to June 2026 the average was 105 hours, compared with 104 hours a year earlier ¹.

Kenya Revenue Authority customs release took 27 hours on average from January to May 2026 and rose to 120 hours in June 2026 ¹.

Published charges at Mombasa

The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) Tariff Book 2025 replaces rates in place since 2012 for marine operations, ship dues, stevedoring, shore handling, wharfage and storage. It was first set to start on 15 September 2025, as reported by Maureen Kinyanjui in The Eastleigh Voice ⁷. KPA told customers the revised rates would take effect on 22 December 2025, as reported by Anthony Kitimo in Business Daily ⁸. The tariff is issued by KPA ¹⁰.

The truck port pass fee rose from KSh 3,000 to KSh 15,000, according to the Kenya Transporters Association, as reported by The Eastleigh Voice ⁷.

Emirates Shipping Line set its Mombasa terminal handling charge at US$110 for a standard 20-foot container and US$165 for a 40-foot container from 15 September 2025, citing the new KPA tariff ⁶.

In November 2025 South Sudan's Transport Minister said the container deposit on South Sudanese imports at Mombasa was US$5,000 and asked for US$1,500, as reported by Eye Radio ⁹.

The 2025 observatory report gives road freight rates of US$1.8 to US$2.4 per km on key Kenya and Uganda routes ³.

Transit bond

Transit cargo on the corridor can move under the COMESA Regional Customs Transit Guarantee, known as the RCTG Carnet. It replaces national customs bonds with one regional guarantee, so duties can be recovered if goods in transit are sold in a transit country ⁴.

Under the scheme a bond issued in one country is registered in the customs systems of all member states. Clearing and forwarding agents hold the bonds. The guarantee is based on the highest duty and tax along the route and is released when the goods clear at destination ⁵.

COMESA listed Kenya and Uganda as fully operational in 2022. It gave the premium rate as 0.3% to 1.5%, set by the RCTG Council ⁵. South Sudan is not named among the participating states ^4,5.

Cargo volumes to South Sudan

Mombasa handled 1,698,416 tonnes of transit cargo for South Sudan in 2024, down from 1,920,114 tonnes in 2023 ². For January to June 2026 the figure was 446,802 tonnes, down from 778,982 tonnes in the same months of 2025 ¹.