Condition 8.6 of Kenya's courier hailing framework requires operators to handle prohibited items strictly in accordance with the schedule PRESCRIBED IN GUIDELINES OR REGULATIONS — i.e., the Communications Authority of Kenya's official prescribed schedule. Condition 8.7 requires operators to display that prescribed schedule. This article serves as a good-practice merchant reference guide drawn from Kenyan statutory provisions and TumaBoda operating rules, and is captioned as such. Obtaining and publishing the Authority's verbatim prescribed schedule remains a priority action once issued.
In Short
Some goods may never be moved by courier in Kenya — narcotics, firearms and ammunition, explosives, wildlife trophies, counterfeit goods and counterfeit currency among them. Others may be moved only with the right permit, licence or documentation, including precious metals and stones, certain medicines, ivory and other CITES-controlled materials, and hazardous or restricted chemicals. A third group sits in a grey area where the law is settled but the practice is not — alcohol above all. Kenya's courier framework now requires operators to obtain a declaration of contents before accepting an item, to verify contents, and to display a schedule of prohibited articles both at their outlets and on their platform. The declaration starts with you, the sender.
Why this schedule exists
Kenya's courier hailing framework places four connected duties on delivery operators:
Require the sender to declare parcel contents before acceptance.
Maintain mechanisms for riders and interconnecting couriers to verify contents.
Screen in line with aviation, revenue, security and transport agency standards.
Prominently display a schedule of prohibited articles at outlets and on platform.
Separately, records of all articles handled must be kept and produced to the Communications Authority or any competent government agency on request (ref: Business Daily Report). The practical effect is that "I didn't know what was in the parcel" has stopped being a defence for an operator, and "the courier didn't ask" has stopped being a defence for a sender.
Condition 8.6 requires operators to handle prohibited items only in accordance with the schedule of prohibited articles as prescribed in guidelines or regulations — that is, the schedule the Authority prescribes. Where that prescribed schedule differs from anything below, the prescribed schedule governs. This page is a practical guide drawn from Kenyan law and our own operating rules, written so that a merchant can brief counter staff today. We will publish the Authority's prescribed schedule alongside it as soon as it is issued.
Category 1 — Prohibited outright
These items may not be accepted, carried or delivered under any circumstances, with or without a declaration, and regardless of who is sending them.
Drugs and Controlled Substances
- Narcotic drugs & psychotropic substances under international control or the Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act
- Cannabis and cannabis products in any form
- Khat where its movement is restricted by destination county or jurisdiction
Weapons and Ordnance
- Firearms of any kind (assembled, dismantled or component parts)
- Ammunition and components of ammunition
- Explosives, detonators, blasting caps, fireworks & pyrotechnics
- Optical gun sights, unless mounted on licensed firearm under permit
- Bows, crossbows and similar weapons carried as weapons
Counterfeit & Fraudulent Goods
- Counterfeit currency and substandard/falsely represented money
- Counterfeit goods of any kind (apparel, electronics, spare parts, seeds, pharmaceuticals)
- Goods falsely bearing state emblem, coat of arms or government insignia
- Forged documents, identity documents or certificates
Wildlife & Protected Materials
- Wildlife trophies (raw or worked)
- Ivory, rhinoceros horn, hippopotamus teeth, tortoise shell and whalebone
- Any species or derivative protected under CITES absent a valid permit
Stolen & Illicit Goods
- Goods known or suspected to be stolen
- Goods being moved to evade duty, tax or customs control
Hazardous & Prohibited Materials
- Hazardous waste under Basel Convention
- Radioactive material and spent nuclear fuel
- Prohibited chemicals & agricultural inputs
- Soaps and cosmetics containing mercury
- Matches manufactured with white phosphorus
Category 2 — Restricted: permitted only with documentation
These may be carried, but only where the sender holds and presents the required permit, licence or authorisation, and where the declaration records it. Where documentation is absent, the item falls back into Category 1 for our purposes.
| Restricted Category | What is Required for Carriage |
|---|---|
| Prescription-only medicines & pharmaceuticals | Movement between licensed parties under Pharmacy and Poisons Act, consignor licence recorded, verified recipient. |
| Psychotropic drugs under international control | Permit required, movement between licensed parties only. |
| Precious metals and unwrought precious stones | Dealer's licence and official documentation of origin. |
| Ivory and CITES-listed species or derivatives | Valid CITES permit and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) authorisation. |
| Firearms and ammunition lawfully transferred | Firearms Licensing Board authorisation. (In practice, not ordinary courier cargo). |
| Explosives and blasting materials | Explosives licence and specialist transport arrangements. |
| Ozone-depleting substances & industrial chemicals | Permit under applicable environmental control (NEMA). |
| Genetically modified material | National Biosafety Authority (NBA) approval. |
| Live fish, plants, seeds & agricultural material | KEPHIS phytosanitary certification + county movement permits. |
| Historical artefacts and antiquities | National Museums of Kenya authorisation. |
| Cash and bearer instruments | Only under specifically contracted cash-in-transit arrangement. Not ordinary courier cargo. |
| Alcoholic drinks | Licensed consignor on file; county restrictions & age verification observed. |
| Tobacco and nicotine products | Excise-compliant, licensed consignor, and county restrictions observed. |
| Lithium batteries and power banks | Declared at booking, subject to quantity & packaging limits. |
| Aerosols, flammable liquids, gas cylinders & LPG | Declared, and only under service explicitly covering dangerous goods. |
| Perishables and temperature-sensitive goods | Only under specialized service with pre-agreed timelines & state at acceptance recorded. |
| High-value electronics and jewellery | Declared value at or below operator stated cap, or separately agreed arrangement. |
Category 3 — The grey areas that actually catch people out
The outright prohibitions rarely cause problems, because nobody is confused about whether they may courier a firearm. Merchants get caught by the categories where the answer is genuinely unclear.
1. AlcoholUnresolved Practice
This is the most consequential unresolved question in Kenyan last-mile delivery. Kenya's National Policy for the Prevention, Management and Control of Alcohol, Drugs and Substance Abuse restricts alcohol sale in a long list of settings, and its treatment of online alcohol sales has been widely reported as a prohibition on the practice (ref: TechTrends Kenya, Nation Africa). What is important — and what most coverage does not make clear — is that a national policy is not the same instrument as a statute or a regulation. Implementation runs through county licensing regimes and enforcement practice, which vary.
2. Medicines
A pharmacy does not stop being a pharmacy because a rider is carrying the parcel. Prescription-only medicines move between licensed parties, and the licensing obligations sit with the consignor, not the courier.
What the courier must add is chain of custody: a record of who released the item, who carried it, and who received it, with the recipient's identity confirmed via OTP rather than assumed. Handing a prescription medicine to whoever answers the door is not a delivery; it is a dispensing failure with a motorcycle attached.
3. Cash
Ordinary courier services are not cash-in-transit services. The insurance, security arrangements, and declared-value caps are all built for goods. A merchant who habitually sends cash inside a parcel described as "documents" has no cover, no recourse and a misdeclaration on record.
Note distinction: Pay-on-delivery collection is a completely different, structured payment flow — money collected from a recipient at handover against a specific order and reconciled to that delivery record. Cash sealed in an envelope is not.
4. Perishables and cold chain
Perishables are not prohibited, but they are only safely carried under a service designed for them. Under Kenya's framework, an operator handling perishables must give senders a comprehensive policy covering state of goods at acceptance, charges, timelines and notifications, and must file that policy with the Authority 30 days before implementation.
5. High-value goods
Most courier services carry a declared-value cap — a ceiling on what the operator will compensate for a lost or damaged consignment. Sending goods above that cap without a separately agreed arrangement means the excess is uninsured, whatever the invoice says. Declare the real value; it is the declaration, not the parcel, that determines your cover.
What "declaring contents" actually requires of you
"Pharmaceuticals — 2 boxes, prescription-only, consignor licence on file" is a declaration. "Goods" is not. The record you create at booking is produced if a revenue or law-enforcement request arrives, produced against your name as sender.
Under-declaring to reduce a fee or over-declaring to inflate a claim are both misdeclarations. Value determines cover; understating it removes your own protection.
A restricted item declared in advance is a service question. The same item discovered at collection is an incident that must be recorded.
What we do at collection — and what we will not do
Our riders inspect a parcel against its declaration at collection point. That inspection is an exterior check — packaging, apparent contents, condition, match to declaration — and it is recorded digitally.
We DO NOT open parcels
Kenya's framework prohibits opening a courier item between receipt and delivery except in narrow circumstances: where delivery or return is impossible without opening, where prohibited goods are suspected, or where revenue officials so order. Where an exception applies, opening is done under controlled conditions with at least two people present, fully reported, and entered in a confidential register.
What happens if a prohibited item is found
- Movement stops immediately: The item is not carried. Where already in transit, movement stops and the parcel is secured.
- Incident recorded: The incident is formally logged against the consignment and the sender account.
- Authority Notification: Where required, relevant authorities (KRA, DCI, Anti-Narcotics) are notified and handed the item.
- Account Termination: Repeat misdeclaration ends the commercial relationship immediately to protect platform licensing.
Quick reference for counter staff
Before handing anything to a rider, ask three questions:
Do I know what is in this parcel?
If no, do not send it.
Would I be comfortable if read by revenue officers?
If no, fix the declaration.
Does this need a permit, and is it on file?
If required and absent, it does not go today.
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about prohibited and restricted courier items in Kenya.
What items are prohibited from courier delivery in Kenya?
Narcotics and controlled substances, firearms, ammunition and explosives, counterfeit currency and counterfeit goods, wildlife trophies and protected species materials, stolen goods, hazardous and radioactive waste, obscene material, and human remains, among others.
Can I send medicine by courier in Kenya?
Prescription-only medicines may be moved between licensed parties, with the consignor's licence recorded and chain of custody maintained through to a verified recipient. The licensing obligation sits with the consignor, not the courier.
Can alcohol be delivered in Kenya?
The position is unsettled. Kenya's national alcohol policy has been widely reported as restricting online alcohol sales, and county licensing regimes vary. We treat alcohol as restricted: licensed consignors only, with the licence on file. Merchants should take specific legal advice on their county's current position.
Can I send cash by courier?
Not as ordinary cargo. Courier services are not cash-in-transit services and declared-value caps and insurance are built for goods. Pay-on-delivery collection — money collected from a recipient at handover against a specific order — is a different, structured arrangement.
What happens if I don't declare contents accurately?
Misdeclaration is recorded against the consignment and the sender, removes your compensation cover where value is understated, and exposes you if a revenue or law-enforcement request is made against the delivery record. Repeated misdeclaration ends the commercial relationship.
Can a courier open my parcel to check it?
Only in narrow circumstances — where delivery or return is impossible otherwise, where prohibited goods are suspected, or where revenue officials so order — and then under controlled conditions with at least two staff present, fully reported, and recorded in a confidential register. Routine inspection is an exterior check against the declaration, not an opening.
This schedule is maintained by TumaBoda Operations and Legal Affairs and is reviewed at least every six months. It is general information and not legal advice; where an item's status is unclear, ask us before booking.
