By UsedHowoTrucks.com | April 11, 2026
Table of Contents
Overview
On April 10, 2026 — one day ago — President William Ruto presided over the official groundbreaking of the Sh5.5 billion rehabilitation of the Voi–Mwatate–Taveta Metre Gauge Railway in Taita-Taveta County, Kenya. The 127-kilometre line, dormant since the mid-2000s, is being revived as the backbone of a new multimodal freight corridor linking the Port of Mombasa to Burundi via Tanzania. The launch was accompanied by the simultaneous announcement of multiple road construction projects in the same county. For contractors, fleet operators, and logistics companies active in coastal and south-eastern Kenya, the event marks the start of a substantial, government-backed infrastructure programme that will drive sustained demand for heavy haulage equipment — and used HOWO dump trucks and tractor units are the dominant fleet choice on Kenyan construction sites.
Ruto's April 10 Launch: What Was Announced
President Ruto launched construction at a ceremony at Taita Taveta University, symbolically tightening the first rail nut on the Voi–Taveta Metre Gauge Railway. The Sh5.5 billion project covers rehabilitation of the full 127-kilometre line from Voi to Taveta on the Kenya–Tanzania border, plus the development of a new dry port in Voi town. The dry port will serve as a transshipment hub connecting the Standard Gauge Railway arriving from Mombasa to the revived metre-gauge branch line heading south to Taveta. [Source: Capital FM Kenya, April 10, 2026]
Once the line is operational — targeted for completion by late 2026 — cargo from the Port of Mombasa will move by SGR to Voi, transship onto the rehabilitated metre-gauge line, and proceed to the Taveta–Holili One-Stop Border Post at the Tanzania border, continuing via Moshi, Arusha, and Singida toward Bujumbura, Burundi. The revival shortens the Mombasa–Bujumbura freight distance by 358 kilometres.
During the construction period, all materials, equipment, and supply movements along the corridor will move by road. That makes used HOWO 6x4 tractor trucks and used HOWO cargo trucks essential to the project's execution.
Concurrent Road Projects in Taita-Taveta
The railway launch was not the only announcement made during President Ruto's development tour of Taita-Taveta County. Multiple road projects are simultaneously under way or recently funded in the same area, each requiring dump trucks, water trucks, and mixer trucks to deliver. [Source: Daily Nation Kenya, April 10, 2026]
The 55-kilometre Mto Mwagodi–Dawida–Mbale–Wundanyi–Bura Junction road is under active construction, with close to 10 kilometres already completed. The Illasit–Rombo–Njukini–Taveta road connecting Kajiado County and Taita-Taveta County is progressing, with 20 kilometres of a 60-kilometre stretch finished. The Cess–Lake Jipe road is also under construction. A tender has been advertised and funds secured for the 18-kilometre Voi–Sagalla road. Each of these projects requires a consistent supply of construction equipment for earthmoving, materials haulage, and site concrete work.
Used HOWO 6x4 dump trucks are the standard platform for road-base material delivery on Kenyan highway contracts. For water suppression on compaction works, used HOWO water trucks in the 10,000–12,000 litre range are widely deployed. Foundation and bridge concrete work on these roads relies on used HOWO concrete mixer trucks, typically in 6x4 or 8x4 configurations.
The Mombasa–Bujumbura Corridor and Its Haulage Gap
The railway's ambition — restoring the historic Mombasa–Voi–Taveta–Moshi–Arusha–Singida–Bujumbura trade corridor — has a direct bearing on road freight demand during the transition period. The metre-gauge line will not carry its first revenue cargo until late 2026 at the earliest. Until then, all cross-border goods that currently use the congested Northern Corridor through Nairobi must continue moving by road through the Taveta–Holili border post, a route that runs on deteriorating tarmac through Taita-Taveta County.
Kenya is the logistics and transport hub for Eastern and Central Africa. Nairobi is the largest city between Cairo and Johannesburg, and Mombasa's port serves more than a dozen landlocked and coastal nations. The Taveta corridor specifically serves Tanzania, Burundi, and Rwanda. Heavy tractor-trailer combinations on this route carry containerised goods, fuel, and agricultural commodities. Qingdao Alston Motors Co., Ltd supplies used HOWO tractor trucks configured for Kenya's right-hand-drive requirements, including models suited to the mixed-surface roads of the Taveta corridor.
Once the Voi dry port is operational and the transshipment hub begins handling containers, the short-haul segment between port and dry port will generate continuous local truck trips. Used HOWO 371hp tractor units are the most common specification for this type of short-haul container shuttle work at Kenyan inland depots.
Why Used HOWO Trucks Are the Contractor's Choice in Kenya
HOWO trucks have been operating in Kenya for over a decade and hold a dominant share of the heavy construction fleet across the country. Three factors explain this position. First, parts availability: engine components, brake systems, and cab parts for the HOWO A7, HOWO 7, and HOWO NX platforms are stocked in Nairobi, Mombasa, Eldoret, and Kisumu, reducing downtime on active sites. Second, mechanic depth: Kenya has a large pool of technicians trained on the HOWO drivetrain, meaning roadside repairs that would sideline a less-common brand can be resolved locally.
Third, cost. Professionally remanufactured used HOWO units sell at 30–50% of new truck prices, a gap that matters enormously on PPP and government road contracts where contractors are expected to supply their own equipment. On a road contract requiring ten dump trucks, the difference between buying used HOWO and buying new European equipment can fund months of fuel and driver wages. Qingdao Alston Motors Co., Ltd stocks model years from 2015 to 2020 in the configurations most requested by Kenyan road contractors, including used HOWO 8x4 dump trucks for high-payload earthmoving and used HOWO 420hp tractor units for line-haul.
Kenya's Wider Infrastructure Push
The Voi–Taveta launch sits within a broader government infrastructure programme. President Ruto has announced a National Infrastructure Fund targeting Ksh1.5 trillion (approximately $11 billion) to finance 10,000 kilometres of new tarmac roads across Kenya, funded through a combination of budget allocations, asset privatisation, capital markets, and public-private partnerships.
Separately, the $3.5 billion Usahihi Expressway — a 440-kilometre dual carriageway from Nairobi to Mombasa — is expected to begin construction in 2026. The expressway is Africa's most ambitious current toll road project and will require a large fleet of construction dump trucks, mixer trucks, and water tankers throughout its estimated five-to-six-year build timeline. Kenya's KeNHA five-year strategic plan also allocates Ksh394 billion to national highway construction, maintenance, and expansion through 2027.
Across all these projects, used HOWO tanker trucks for fuel supply to remote construction sites, alongside used HOWO A7 dump trucks for earthmoving, represent the core equipment categories in active demand from Kenyan buyers in 2026.
Practical Notes for Kenyan Buyers
Kenya uses right-hand-drive vehicles. Any used HOWO unit imported must be in right-hand-drive configuration — the standard for HOWO trucks exported via Japan or through compliant Chinese export channels. Buyers should confirm RHD specification before placing an order.
Kenya Revenue Authority assesses import duty based on vehicle age and customs value. Model years 2014 and newer generally attract the most favourable duty-to-value ratios for buyers on active construction contracts. Older units from 2010–2013 remain importable but carry higher effective duty as a percentage of purchase price.
China's January 2026 used vehicle export rules — requiring a 180-day holding period between first registration in China and export application — mean that buyers should plan sourcing timelines of 60–90 days from order to Mombasa port arrival to allow for shipping, documentation, and customs processing. Working with exporters who hold full MOFCOM-compliant documentation eliminates clearance delays at Mombasa's container terminal, which handles the majority of imported used trucks entering Kenya.
Sources
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