I believe the windows arrived. I've not "bothered" to call Kamau or Jomo since my "matatu" is arriving on 31/01/2013. If it's not registrable as a matatu I may not need the windows and I will go for plan B!

@Rankaz13, I don't mean taking a "short-cut". I'll sell it or do a different job with it.

Hata Mimi Im very curious. My reasoning was based on the fact that one day you may need to sell it. a majority of the customers for these vans are matatu guys. if it is not registered by TLB guys, you will not stand a very good chance of selling at a premium price. Furthermore the prices are bound to fall. The moment you stay with it for 6 months you will not get a good price. However, if it will be a mat, Chances are high that even after 2 years you may sell at the price you bought it at, as long as bado imesimama. The same thing that happened with 5L. The moment that 7L came in with a much higher duty, the 5Ls shot up in price. The moment 3000 cc 7Ls come in (1KD?) then the 2500 cc 7Ls will have their prices shooting upwards (2KD). Guys will obviously prefer 2500 ccs to 3000 ccs and the latter's duty will be much higher. Jaribu kwanza ku-i register

Kindly advise on IDF procedures. At what stage do I acquire one and from where?

Thanks @matatuman, I was "young and stupid" as @Vj would put it but I'm almost "old and wise". Problem now is whether I will avoid the port "demurrage charges". There is also the risk of tampering of car due to prolonged stay at "port".

Thank God it arrived earlier but small tip of advise. An agent/forwader takes the hustle of tracking,updating,clearing and delivery to door.
They know what caused delays etc etc.

You can do your own IDF-it only costs kes 5,000 and is processed through kra after proof of payment at the Bank.

You require your PIN NO,and personal infor-ie importers details-Name,add, then wait for at least 3 days for it to pass.

This is why the idf application or the whole clearance process needs to start while goods are still on the high sea.

ok I hope i have helped a bit.

the info you get at wazua is just awesome keep it guys. i imported nissan Vanette and landed early this month and had to pay ksh5000 ati for inspection and inspection was done in japan,is this true ama ni kugongwa by my agent.

Radiation is a K. It is a requirement that commercial vehicles are inspected before the number plates are issued. You weka chevrons, reflectors etc then pay to KRA for inspection. You still have to chotea the inspectors. They should issue you with the certificate and sticker on the windscreen. All commercial cars have to be inspected. So you were not conned. You could have decided to pick the car with temporary plates then you have the inspection done then you start chasing the plates. In my opinion the clearing agent did the best thing for you. Mine costed me 4k but its okay!!

Week 2 at the job. Still trying to get in synch with my driver. Cant complain much. If everything goes well and things pick up then I will say that it was worth the investment. So far averaging around 4k/ day. Some days very good. Actually majority good. One or two days very bad. I am still young at the whole thing but I have sat on the shoulders of giants at the trade. It is still too early to make conclusions but i will post my observations slowly by slowly.

1. It is a business like any other. When you start a business, your input, both financial and time are still required. I have had to learn that the mat cannot and should not stand by itself from the word go. Majority, including mine are partially financed by loans. By partially covering its costs, e.g. service and Insurance, and topping up the loan payments will always go a long way into getting debt free and covering up for any unforeseen circumstances which may require you to come up with urgent cash. Similarly during the duration of the loan repayment, the matatu cash should strictly go into the repayments. I always try to remember that the mat will not always be on the road for one reason or the other. So the earlier I get the repayment done the better. A cushion of about 50k is always to be on standby for any matter that arises that may keep the matatu off the road. Within a year, the loan should have been re-payed, assuming all goes well. After that the mat can now take care of itself. My mentor supports any new mat he has acquired for 6 months. Paying everything from his pocket then frees the mat to now start earning him some income. So in short, It is a seed. Not to be eaten but sowed, tendered, watered and all measures put in place to ensure a bountiful harvest IN THE FUTURE.

2. FUEL. I have made it mandatory that the driver MUST fill the tank at the petrol station of my choice. A worksheet is a must everyday showing the trips done, the cash received, the starting mileage and ending mileage. over time I have noted that the mat does around 10bob of diesel per KM. The last time I allowed him to fill up at a station of his choice ended disastrously after claiming he filled 5200 for a day that should have only taken 4100 or thereabout. The concept of full tank is just to avoid scenarios where he says he topped up a 1000 when he only did 500 worth of fuel. So for the fuel, ONLY DO FULL TANK at the end of the day, Majority of times in my presence BUT at a petrol station of my choice. Where quality is assured and najua the attendants will watch out for me. More to come

That. Over time, I have come to realize that the single most expensive 'spare part' in a shark is the engine, and when it gets to the end of its life, hata 'kufunga engine' haitasaidia. For that reason then, I advocate to always have some amount in its account that would be sufficient to purchase an (ex-japan, good quality) engine just in case the need arises. It is an ideal I always strive towards, after some harsh lessons learnt along the way.