Moving Terms Glossary: Your Kenya Moving Dictionary

Moving comes with its own language. The moment you request a quote, terms start flying: bill of lading, valuation, accessorial charges, SIT, PBO, FCL, and they turn up again in your contract and your invoice, usually without explanation. If you are moving across a border, add customs, duty-free personal effects, and clearing agents to the pile.

This glossary explains them all in plain English, with the Kenya-specific terms (KRA customs, NTSA transfers, the Malaba and Namanga borders, EAC and COMESA) that the international moving glossaries never cover.

Use the A-Z jump links to find a term, or read through to get fluent in "move-speak" before you sign anything. And wherever a term connects to a service, we have linked it, so you can go straight from the definition to how it actually works.

A

Abnormal Load: A shipment that exceeds the standard legal limits for weight, width, height, or length and therefore requires special permits from the road authorities, and sometimes escort vehicles and restricted travel times. Common in machinery moving.
Accessorial Charges: Extra charges for services beyond basic loading, transport, and unloading, such as packing, unpacking, long carries, or stair carries. These are added to the base moving cost, so it is worth knowing what triggers them before you book.
Access: Whether, and how easily, a mover can get to your goods at both ends: stairs, lifts, doorway widths, parking, and how far the truck must park from the door. Access is one of the biggest hidden factors in what a move costs.

B

Bill of Lading (BOL): The core transport document for your shipment. It lists your goods, the parties involved, the route, and the terms of carriage, and it acts as both a receipt for your belongings and the contract between you and the mover. Read it before you sign, and keep your copy.
Binding Estimate: A fixed price for your move based on a proper assessment of your belongings. The price does not change as long as what you are moving, and the access, stay as agreed.
Bonded Warehouse: A secure storage facility, supervised by customs, where imported goods can be held before duty is paid or clearance is completed. If you are absent when an international shipment arrives, goods may be held in bond and accrue storage charges.
Border Post: The official crossing point where goods and people pass between countries and clear customs. Kenya's main crossings for cross border moving include Malaba and Busia (to Uganda) and Namanga and Taveta/Holili (to Tanzania).

C

Canter: In Kenya, a common medium-sized moving truck (from the Mitsubishi Canter), widely used for household and office moves. When a mover quotes "a canter" or "a 3-tonne canter", they mean the truck size, which relates directly to how much can move in one trip.
Carrier: The company or operator physically transporting your goods. In InMover's marketplace, the carrier is one of the vetted movers matched to your job.
Chain of Custody: A documented record of who has handled and been responsible for your goods at each stage of the move. It matters most for high-value and sensitive shipments such as data center relocation.
Clearing Agent: A licensed professional who handles customs clearance on your behalf, submitting documentation to the revenue authority and getting your goods released. Standard for most international and cross border moves.
COMESA: The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, a regional trade bloc that includes Kenya and several Southern African countries such as Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi. It shapes the customs treatment of goods moving between member states.
Consignment: Your shipment of goods as a single unit for transport and customs purposes.
Crating: Building a custom wooden crate around an item for protection in transit. Used for fragile, valuable, or awkward items: artwork, glass, machinery, sensitive equipment. See fine art moving.
Customs Clearance: The process of getting goods approved to enter or leave a country by the revenue authority, in Kenya the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). It involves declaring the goods, providing documentation, and paying any duties owed. Central to cross border moving.
Customs Declaration: The formal statement of what is in your shipment, its value, and its purpose, submitted to the revenue authority for clearance.

D

Deposit: An upfront payment to secure a mover for a specific date, usually a percentage of the estimated cost. The amount and terms vary by company, so confirm what is refundable before paying.
Destination Agent: The mover or partner at the destination end who receives, clears, and delivers your goods, and arranges any settling-in services. See destination services.
Destination Services: Services that help you settle in at the other end rather than just deliver your boxes: home search, utilities setup, and orientation. Common for people relocating to Kenya. See destination services.
Decommissioning: Safely disconnecting a machine or equipment from power, services, and its mountings so it can be moved. The reverse, at the destination, is recommissioning. See machinery moving.
Door-to-Door: A service covering the entire journey from your old address to your new one, including collection, transport, clearance, and delivery, as opposed to port-to-port or terminal-to-terminal.
Duty (Import Duty): A tax charged by the revenue authority on certain imported goods. Rates depend on the goods and are set by the authority, so they should be confirmed rather than assumed. Many used personal effects qualify for relief. See Duty-Free Personal Effects.
Duty-Free Personal Effects: Used household goods and personal belongings that may be imported without import duty, subject to revenue authority conditions. Often available to returning residents and people relocating, within set conditions and time windows. A key concept in international and cross border moving.

E

EAC (East African Community): The regional bloc including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, and the DR Congo. EAC membership affects customs treatment and work permits when moving between member states. See our cross border moving guides.
Estimate: An assessment of what your move will cost, based on your inventory and the services you need. Can be binding (fixed) or non-binding (may change). Always better when based on an actual survey.
Exit Note: In some cross-border moves (notably to Rwanda), an approval required before goods leave the origin country. See moving from Kenya to Rwanda.

F

FCL (Full Container Load): A sea freight shipment that fills an entire container on its own. Generally more cost-effective per item for a full household, faster, and more secure. See international moving.
Fragile-Only Packing: A service where the mover packs just your fragile and valuable items, leaving the rest to you, a middle ground between full packing and PBO. See packing services.
Freight Forwarder: A company that organises the transport of goods, especially internationally, coordinating shipping, documentation, and customs. Often works alongside your mover on overseas relocations.
Full-Service Move: A move where the mover does everything: packing, loading, transport, unloading, and unpacking. The opposite of a self-service or PBO move.

G

Gantry: A portable overhead lifting frame used to lift heavy machines in spaces a crane cannot reach, such as inside a building. See machinery moving.
GIT (Goods-in-Transit) Insurance: Cover that protects your goods against loss or damage while they are being transported. Distinct from the mover's basic liability. Always check what cover applies to your move.

H

Household Goods: The general contents of a home: furniture, appliances, kitchenware, and belongings. Note that some countries, such as South Africa, treat "household goods" and "personal effects" as distinct customs categories.

I

Inventory: A detailed list of every item in your shipment, recording quantity and condition before loading. It is your record, the basis of your valuation, and the document customs checks your goods against. An accurate inventory is one of the most important parts of any move.
IATA Crate: A pet travel crate compliant with the International Air Transport Association's Live Animals Regulations, correctly sized, ventilated, and secure. Required for air travel. See pet relocation.

K

KRA (Kenya Revenue Authority): Kenya's tax and customs authority. KRA handles the clearance of goods entering and leaving Kenya, including the household shipments in international and cross border moves.

L

LCL (Less than Container Load): A sea freight shipment that shares a container with other shipments. Can suit a small shipment, but consolidation and deconsolidation add handling, time, and cost. See international moving.
Long Carry: An accessorial charge that applies when movers have to carry your goods an unusually long distance between the truck and the door, for example when the truck cannot park close.
Loading List: See Inventory. The itemised list of goods loaded onto the vehicle.

M

Manifest Cargo: For pets and freight, goods that travel as cargo on their own booking rather than accompanying a passenger. See pet relocation.
Method Statement: A written plan for how a complex move will be carried out: the sequence, equipment, and safety controls. Standard practice for machinery moving and large office relocations.
Moving Survey (Pre-Move Survey): An assessment of your belongings and access, in person or by video, used to produce an accurate quote and plan. The single best way to avoid surprise costs.

N

NTSA (National Transport and Safety Authority): Kenya's road transport authority. Relevant to moving when it comes to vehicle transfers and logbook changes. If you are relocating and moving a vehicle, NTSA processes apply. See auto relocation.
Non-Binding Estimate: An estimated cost that may go up or down depending on the actual goods and services. Less predictable than a binding estimate.

O

OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer): The company that made a machine. For precision or medical equipment, the OEM's own engineer often must handle final installation and calibration to preserve warranty. Relevant to machinery moving.
Origin Services: Services provided at the starting point of a move: packing, disassembly, and preparation before transport.

P

Packing Materials: The boxes, tape, bubble wrap, packing paper, and protective materials used to prepare goods for transport. See our moving boxes and packing materials guide.
PBO (Packed By Owner): Boxes you packed yourself rather than the mover. Because the mover did not pack them, liability for breakage inside PBO boxes is usually limited, worth understanding before you self-pack fragile items.
Personal Effects: Belongings of a personal nature, such as clothing, books, and personal items. In some customs systems this is a distinct category from household goods, with its own forms and treatment.
Point Load: The concentrated weight of a heavy item resting on small feet or wheels, which matters for whether a floor can bear it. A key consideration in machinery moving and safe moving.

Q

Quote: The price a mover gives for your move. On the InMover app, you get a transparent quote based on your actual move before you book, rather than an estimate that changes later.

R

Recommissioning: Reinstalling, reconnecting, levelling, and returning a machine to working order at its destination, after decommissioning at the origin. See machinery moving.
Returning Resident: Someone moving back to their home country after living abroad. Returning residents often qualify for duty-free import of used personal effects, subject to conditions such as time spent abroad.
Rigging: The craft of moving very heavy items using specialist equipment: skates, jacks, gantries, hoists, and slings, rather than simply lifting. Central to machinery moving.

S

Self-Service Move: A move where the company provides transport only, and you handle packing and loading. Cheaper, but more work and more risk to your goods.
Service Lift (Goods Lift): A lift designated for moving goods and furniture rather than passengers, common in Nairobi apartment blocks. Many buildings require you to book it in advance and may restrict moving hours, an important access consideration for apartment moving.
Shuttle Service: Using a smaller vehicle to ferry goods between your home and the main moving truck when the truck cannot access your property directly. Adds cost, so it is worth flagging tricky access early.
Storage-in-Transit (SIT): Temporary storage of your goods by the mover between collection and final delivery, used when your new place is not ready. See storage solutions.
Survey: See Moving Survey.

T

Tail Lift: A hydraulic platform at the back of a truck that raises and lowers heavy items between ground and truck bed, reducing manual lifting and the risk of damage.
Tariff: A carrier's published schedule of rates, rules, and charges for its services.
TIN (Tax Identification Number): A taxpayer number required for customs clearance in most countries. Relevant when clearing an international or cross-border shipment.
Transit Time: How long goods take to travel from origin to destination. For cross-border and international moves this depends on route, customs, and mode (road versus sea).
Transferee: In corporate relocation, the employee being moved. See employee relocation.

U

Unaccompanied Baggage: Goods that travel separately from you rather than with you as a passenger, for example a shipment that follows you after you fly.
Unpacking Service: A service where movers unpack your boxes and, often, remove the packing materials at the destination, part of a full-service move. See packing services.

V

Valuation: The declared value of your goods, which sets the level of the mover's liability if something is lost or damaged. Valuation is not the same as insurance. It is worth understanding both, and what cover actually applies to your move.
Vetting: The process of checking and approving a mover before they can take jobs. Every mover on the InMover platform is vetted, and rated by customers after each move.

W

Waybill: A transport document accompanying a shipment, giving details of the goods and the consignment. Similar in function to a bill of lading for certain shipments.
White-Glove Service: A premium, high-care service for valuable or delicate items, with extra protection, careful handling, and often installation or placement. See fine art moving.

From Definition to Done

Knowing the language is half the battle: the other half is a mover who explains rather than confuses. InMover connects you with vetted movers across Kenya, with transparent quotes so you know exactly what you are paying for, and none of the surprise charges that make the jargon feel like a trap.

Whether it is an apartment move in Nairobi, an office relocation, a cross-border move, or an international relocation, you can plan it, quote it, and track it on the InMover app.

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