Mombasa had a record 2025, handling 45.45 million tonnes of cargo, up 10.0%, with container traffic at 2.11 million TEU and transit cargo to Uganda, Rwanda and the wider region up 19.5% to 15.88 million tonnes. What has not happened yet is the private operator most shippers assume runs the container terminals. Kenya Ports Authority still operates both Mombasa container terminals directly: a 2023 tender that would have handed four berths to a private concessionaire was halted by a community court action, and it was only in August 2026 that a new landlord-model process for Mombasa's berths 11 to 14, Container Terminal 1 and the whole of Lamu port moved into procurement, with investor engagement expected from September. On the Standard Gauge Railway, the operator question is similarly unsettled: Kenya Railways said in early 2025 it had taken over 98% of operations from its Chinese contractor and would reach full control by the end of that year, but reporting through mid-2026 still describes the contractor providing operational support, so treat who you actually book freight through as an open question rather than a settled fact. This 2026 guide profiles eight providers with the strongest footprint in Kenya, listed in no particular order, drawn from Kenya Ports Authority data, company disclosures and verified trade reporting.
How we chose this list
This is an editorial guide, compiled from public sources such as annual reports, company accounts, regulatory filings and trade media, rather than from paid placements or our own directory data. We weighed four things:
- Scale in Kenya: revenue, sites, fleet and employees based in the country.
- Breadth of services: freight forwarding, contract logistics, haulage, parcels and terminal operations.
- Track record: years operating in Kenya and publicly verifiable results.
- Network: domestic coverage plus international connections.
Figures are the most recent publicly reported at the time of writing. The companies appear in no particular order. A provider further down the page may well be the better fit for your specific lane or freight type.
The 8 companies at a glance
| Company | Type | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Kenya Ports Authority | State port authority and terminal operator | Operating the Port of Mombasa directly, without a private concessionaire |
| Kenya Railways | State railway corporation | The Mombasa to Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway, and an unsettled freight handover |
| Africa Global Logistics Kenya | Integrated port and logistics operator | Port handling, freight and inland logistics under global ownership |
| Mitchell Cotts Group | Kenyan-owned freight forwarding and warehousing group | A century of local operation, with genuine reach into Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan |
| Siginon Group | Private multimodal logistics group | Freight forwarding and container freight station operations close to the port |
| DHL Kenya | Global integrator's Kenyan operation | Express and forwarding backed by a major new African investment |
| Astral Aviation | African all-cargo airline | One of the few dedicated cargo carriers based in Africa |
| Kenya Airways Cargo | National carrier's cargo division | Freighter and belly capacity from Nairobi into the Gulf and West Africa |
Kenya Ports Authority
Kenya Ports Authority runs Mombasa, East Africa's largest gateway port, along with Lamu and the Kisumu inland port. It handled 45.45 million tonnes of cargo in 2025, up 10.0% on 40.99 million the year before, with container traffic at 2.11 million TEU, up 5.5%.
It is worth understanding that KPA is still the direct operator of both Mombasa container terminals rather than a landlord leasing them to a private company. A concession process covering Mombasa's berths 11 to 14, Container Terminal 1 and the integrated Lamu Container Terminal and special economic zone only moved from feasibility into procurement in August 2026, with investor engagement expected from that September. No operator has been selected for any of them.
Best for: not a vendor choice, since it is the gateway itself, but the counterparty every Mombasa shipment ultimately runs through.
Kenya Railways
The SGR carried 7.48 million tonnes of freight in 2025, up 14.5% on 6.53 million the year before, generating 128.7 million US dollars in cargo revenue, and passed 50 million cumulative tonnes since opening by July 2026.
Who actually runs freight on it is genuinely unsettled. Kenya Railways said in February 2025 it held 98% of operations, with the Chinese contractor Africa Star Railway Operation Company retaining freight management, signalling and dispatch, and targeted full control by the end of that year. Reporting through mid-2026 still describes Africa Star providing operational and technical support to the line, with no confirmation the handover completed on schedule. Confirm the current booking arrangement directly rather than assuming Kenya Railways alone now handles freight.
Best for: bulk and containerised inland haulage between Mombasa and Nairobi, once you have confirmed the current operator.
Africa Global Logistics Kenya
Africa Global Logistics runs port operations, freight forwarding and inland logistics in Kenya as part of a pan-African network, with particular depth in agro-industry, energy and telecom-sector logistics.
It was Bollore Africa Logistics until the MSC group completed its acquisition on 21 December 2022 at an enterprise value of 5.7 billion euros, rebranding to Africa Global Logistics in 2023. If you see it referred to as Bollore, that ownership ended in December 2022 and the name should not be used in the present tense.
Best for: one integrated operator across port handling, rail and inland logistics under a global balance sheet.
Mitchell Cotts Group
Founded in 1926 as the Kenyan arm of a British parent, Mitchell Cotts became fully Kenyan-owned in 1989 and now runs air and sea freight forwarding, customs clearance, container freight station operations, perishables handling and collateral management from its base at the JKIA air cargo terminal.
It maintains regional arms in Rwanda, Uganda, where it trades as Upstream Limited, and South Sudan, giving it a genuinely regional footprint most Kenyan-owned forwarders do not have. For companies that specifically want a local rather than multinational partner with real Great Lakes reach, this is the longest-established option.
Best for: companies preferring a wholly Kenyan-owned forwarder with established regional reach into Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan.
Siginon Group
Siginon has operated for 37 years and runs Siginon Global Logistics for air, sea, road and rail freight and customs clearance, alongside Siginon CFS, a container freight station 7.5 kilometres from the Port of Mombasa, plus large-scale warehousing including specialised tea storage.
It runs a fleet of more than 300 trucks and around 500 staff, and holds ISO 9001, AEO and ISO 22000 certification. It is privately held and publishes no financial results, so it is judged here on operational reach rather than disclosed scale.
Best for: companies wanting one private multimodal forwarder with container freight station access close to Mombasa.
DHL Kenya
DHL Group announced a 300 million euro investment in its African operations in October 2025, part of which funds a new head office for its Kenyan unit in Nairobi, alongside priorities in e-commerce, cold-chain and perishables, energy, and life sciences and healthcare logistics.
That cold-chain priority matters specifically for Kenya, where horticultural exports, particularly cut flowers, are a major share of trade with the European Union. DHL named Sub-Saharan Africa as its fastest-growing trade region in the first half of 2025 when announcing the investment.
Best for: exporters, especially in horticulture and perishables, wanting DHL's global cold-chain and express network with an upgraded local footprint.
Astral Aviation
Astral runs a fleet of Boeing 767 and 737 freighters, ranging from 18 to 52 tonnes of capacity, out of hubs in Nairobi, Dubai, Johannesburg and Liege, with scheduled service to 20 destinations and charter capability to 50 more. It has 26 years of operating history and has been named Africa's cargo carrier of the year seven times, most recently in 2025.
Its specialism is perishables, pharmaceuticals, dangerous goods and humanitarian charter work, which is exactly the time-critical cargo that passenger belly space handles badly. That makes it a genuine alternative to routing through a passenger airline's cargo hold when timing or handling requirements are strict.
Best for: time-critical, perishable or charter air cargo into and out of destinations passenger airlines serve poorly.
Kenya Airways Cargo
Kenya Airways Cargo runs a mixed fleet of four freighters, two Boeing 737-800 converted freighters and two older 737-300 freighters, alongside belly capacity across the airline's passenger network. Freighter routes include Dubai, Jeddah, Riyadh, Dakar, Lagos and Mumbai.
It combines the widest passenger network of any Nairobi-based carrier with dedicated freighter capacity, which is a combination few African cargo operations offer at the same time.
Best for: shippers wanting both passenger-network reach and dedicated freighter capacity from a single Nairobi-hub carrier.
Names you might expect that are not on this list
A few companies appear in almost every guide to this market but should not, because their situation has changed:
- Sendy: For years cited as Kenya's leading logistics technology platform. It shut down and began an asset sale in August 2023 and entered administration that September after failing to raise further capital or find a buyer. It is not an operating company today.
- Express Kenya: A long-standing, exchange-listed clearing and forwarding name that still appears on older lists. As of September 2026 it was trading with negative earnings per share and a market capitalisation of around 335 million shillings, which is not the position of a company to recommend without a clear caveat about its finances.
How to choose between them
The right provider depends less on overall size than on fit with your freight and lane:
- Mombasa gateway: Kenya Ports Authority directly, until the current terminal concession process produces a private operator.
- Inland to Nairobi: The Standard Gauge Railway, once you have confirmed whether Kenya Railways or its Chinese contractor is currently handling freight.
- Regional forwarding: Africa Global Logistics under global ownership, Mitchell Cotts for a Kenyan-owned alternative with the same regional reach.
- Port-adjacent handling: Siginon Group for container freight station access close to Mombasa.
- Air cargo and perishables: Astral Aviation for time-critical charter work, Kenya Airways Cargo for combined network and freighter reach, DHL for cold-chain investment.
Whoever you shortlist, get more than one quote, because rates for the same lane can vary widely, and confirm licences, insurance coverage and references for your specific freight type. Our guide to the best websites to find a freight forwarder covers how to run that comparison, and the credentials you can check yourself covers verifying them.
Compare Kenya logistics providers in one place
The eight companies above are the biggest names, but they are not always the best-priced option for a specific shipment, and independent forwarders often handle SME import and export work more attentively than the majors. CargoLinked's directory lists more than 350 logistics companies and freight forwarders based in Kenya, which you can browse by service and location. If you have cargo to move, you can also post your shipment for free and collect quotes from interested forwarders instead of contacting providers one by one.
