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Kenya exports a wide variety of highly perishable goods that absolutely require an effective cold chain from the packing house to the destination country. Cut flowers and ornamental plants, fruits, vegetables, as well as fish, meat, and dairy products are among the country's best-known exports.
Getting a product out of the ground, water, or tree is only half the battle. Getting it safely to the customer thousands of kilometres away is quite another matter. Time, temperature, and handling are crucial (see also: Cold chain temperature control).
For decades, air freight has helped Kenya solve this problem. It's fast. It's established. And it has given Kenyan producers access to European markets. But this model is under pressure.
Air freight capacity is often scarce and expensive, and geopolitical conflicts exacerbate the situation. Exporters are therefore increasingly considering sea transport. Kenya and the Netherlands are already working on developing a refrigerated corridor for fresh produce, and trials have shown that Kenyan flowers can be transported by rail to Mombasa and from there by ship to Rotterdam. (1)
This changes export conditions and presents new challenges for Kenya's exporters, logistics companies and container terminal operators.
Kenya's export economy is closely linked to agriculture, with horticulture in particular encompassing a very diverse range of cut flowers, vegetables, fruits and other fresh produce. Fruits such as avocados are becoming an increasingly important export commodity; Kenya is Africa's largest avocado exporter, with 121,000 tonnes exported in 2025 (2).
Other important fruits for export include mangoes, passion fruit, and berries. Vegetables, especially French beans, snow peas, and sugar snap peas, as well as fresh herbs, are also important. During the European winter months, up to 80 per cent of the basil for the EU market sometimes comes from Kenya.
Regarding fish and meat, the Nile perch from Lake Victoria is particularly noteworthy, as well as beef and lamb, which are mainly shipped to the Gulf States. Limited to the local market until around 1985, the Nile perch became one of the most important white fish imports for Europe in the late 1980s. The history of export relations with the Gulf States has developed in waves: Starting in the 1990s, the Kenya Meat Commission (KMC) established supply chains for halal-certified meat in the Middle East. Following successful compliance measures, previously imposed import bans were lifted in 2022, and exports subsequently experienced massive growth from USD 88.95 million to USD 146.15 million the following year. (3)
However, cut flowers hold a particularly important position, especially roses, which account for almost 70 per cent of all Kenyan flower exports. The size of the Kenyan floriculture market will be USD 1.15 billion in 2026, and with a projected CAGR of 4.84%, it will reach USD 1.46 billion in 2031. (4) Commercial flower cultivation began in Kenya in the 1970s, when the area around Lake Naivasha, with its equatorial climate, high altitude, and abundant freshwater, was recognised as ideal for growing high-quality roses and other cut flowers. Government support programs facilitated strong expansion over the following two decades. (5)
The current outlook is as follows: Europe is the backbone of Kenya's horticultural export business, with the Netherlands playing a particularly important role. The country is not only a major destination for Kenyan flowers but also a gateway into the wider European flower market. Royal FloraHolland, the world's largest international B2B marketplace for flowers and plants, plays a central role in this network, with Kenyan flowers reaching buyers across Europe through the Dutch flower trade. While Europe remains important, Kenya's markets are becoming increasingly diversified. The Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) identifies Kazakhstan, China, and Turkey as markets where Kenyan horticultural exports have experienced particularly strong growth, suggesting greater reach in Asia and Eastern Europe. Kazakhstan is especially interesting: Following the disruption of Kenyan exports to Russia, the country has emerged as a promising alternative market in the region. AFA also identifies Qatar and Oman as promising markets for future expansion.
The most common route for Kenyan flower exports remains air freight, primarily from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, strategically located near the growing regions. The reason is simple: the market value of a rose depends on it arriving fresh, attractive, and with sufficient vase life.
For years, air transport made sense, but the world is changing. Air freight capacity is not unlimited. In 2024, flight cancellations and reduced cargo capacity at Nairobi Airport led to significant disruptions for Kenyan flower exporters. Cargo piled up at the airport.
Rising kerosene prices and therefore rising freight costs, as well as environmental protection efforts, are also important factors for Kenya exports.
As a result, sea freight has evolved from an interesting experiment into a key topic of discussion. There is also political and economic support for this idea. As mentioned above, Kenya and the Netherlands are examining a special refrigerated corridor, and recent trials have already demonstrated a successful route from Naivasha by rail to Mombasa and then by ship to Rotterdam (learn more about reefer operations).
Associations and companies are optimistic: “‘The goal is to be shipping 50 per cent of Kenyan flower exports by the sea in seven years’ time’”, said Kenya Flower Council’s CEO Clement Tulezi in 2024. (7) Some companies have even greater ambitions; for example, Nini rose farm (part of the Dutch Flower Group) aims to ship 75 to 80 per cent of its roses by sea freight by 2030. According to Iris de Waal, the company's sustainability manager, in August 2026, this figure is 21 percent, which corresponds to an average of one container per week containing around 350,000 roses. (8)
Sea freight has a major advantage over air freight: it's scalable. However, it also places higher demands on the supply chain.
The journey takes longer. There are more opportunities for delays. The cargo spends significantly more time in a refrigerated container. And once a container leaves the farm or packhouse, the goods inside can't be easily inspected.
That's the real challenge.
The question is no longer whether Kenyan perishable goods can be transported by ship. They can. The real question is how reliably this can be done on a commercial scale. This is where the cold chain process becomes crucial.
Unlike air freight, which takes 8-9 hours to transport and the total delivery time (from harvest to wholesaler) can be 12-24 hours, sea freight takes many times longer. The journey typically takes 28 to 40 days (the latter for transshipments with multiple stops), and the total transit time, including harvesting, packaging, rail transport, customs clearance, and final delivery in Europe, is around 45 days. If the route through the Suez Canal is not possible and a detour around Africa is necessary, the time can increase significantly.
The good news? Many risks are manageable. The bigger challenge is ensuring that every link in the chain fulfils its function.
Challenge 1: The cold chain begins long before the port.
Fresh produce requires proper post-harvest treatment, cooling, packaging, and preparation before being loaded into containers.
Challenge 2: Three to four weeks is a long time.
Visibility is essential. Exporters and logistics providers need to know whether conditions are remaining within the required range and, crucially, when something begins to go wrong. Monitoring solutions that provide early alerts are also imperative, allowing for intervention before damage occurs.
Challenge 3: The container terminal becomes a crucial part of the cold chain.
A refrigerated container enters an environment where it can be moved, connected to electricity, inspected, repositioned, and finally loaded onto a ship. Every extra hour counts.
The terminal bears the responsibility for the containers in their care and must know where the reefer is located, whether it is receiving power, whether the parameters correspond to the set points, or whether anything has happened that could endanger the cargo.
Challenge 4: What happens when something goes wrong?
A terminal that quickly detects a problem has options for action. A terminal that only discovers it days later may only have traces of the damage left.
Here, monitoring and clear responsibilities make all the difference. Someone needs to see the warning. Someone needs to investigate the incident. Someone needs to decide whether the container needs to be repaired.
Challenge 5: Who can prove what happened?
Was the temperature already too high when the container arrived at the terminal? Did the problem occur during land transport? Was there a power outage? Did the container have to wait too long for inspection or loading? Or did something happen during sea transport? Without reliable records, the answers remain speculation.
A complete record of the transport route makes this possible. Temperature profiles, handling events, and important timestamps help to reconstruct the sequence of events.
Challenge 6: Sea Freight Requires an Interconnected Supply Chain
Perhaps the biggest challenge: No single entity controls the entire transport route.
The farmer controls the early stages. Inland logistics providers control part of the route. The terminal controls its own operations. The shipping company controls the portion of the journey. The destination port and importer take over later.
A cold chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
The more temperature-sensitive cargo is transported by ship, the more crucial a smooth and rapid process is during transport and at the container terminal. This is especially true for highly sensitive goods such as cut flowers.
The infrastructure is already being expanded. The Kenyan government has identified the port of Mombasa, inland container depots, and the railway network as key components of the cold chain logistics corridor. Kenya Railways is increasingly deploying railcars capable of transporting refrigerated containers from the interior to Mombasa for onward transport by ship.
This alone is not enough. The terminals themselves are now required to expand their capacities without compromising product quality due to increased operational complexity. This requires sufficient power connections, efficient on-site processes, and a clear overview of the location of reefers and whether they are receiving the required power.
There's another important point: data. It's helpful to know that a refrigerated container is connected. It's even better to know that it has met the required conditions throughout its stay. Ideally, deviations should be quickly identified and traced back to when and where they occurred.
Terminals cannot assume responsibility for the entire supply chain. But they can make their own part of it more transparent and predictable. Efforts to boost Kenya exports will lead to higher export volumes, and container terminals must grow accordingly.
Not just in capacity.
But also in capabilities.
Cold chain infrastructure doesn't necessarily have to mean a large, grid-connected cold storage facility. In Kenya, smaller, decentralised solutions are increasingly being used to bring refrigeration closer to farms, markets, and fishing communities.
Solar-powered cold storage units are one example. Projects around Lake Victoria have introduced solar cooling to rural marketplaces, allowing vendors to store fresh produce. A low-carbon pilot cold storage unit in Homa Bay can cool up to 500 kg of agricultural products per day using photovoltaics and thermal storage.
Mobile refrigeration takes this a step further. Kenyan companies are using portable, solar-powered cold storage units and refrigeration units that can be moved closer to producers and collection points. This is particularly valuable where building permanent infrastructure is not economically viable.
Of course, there are also environmental arguments. Solar energy reduces dependence on diesel and grid electricity. But cost plays an equally important role. These systems can reduce ongoing energy costs and allow smaller farmers and traders to use cooling facilities without having to purchase their own equipment through rental or usage-based billing models.
Kenya's perishable exports have already established strong international markets. The next challenge is to make transportation to these markets more reliable.
Air freight will remain important, but sea freight offers the potential to transport larger quantities more cost-effectively. However, it also places higher demands on the cold chain. Transport lasting weeks carries a greater risk of delays, temperature fluctuations, power outages, and handling issues.
This is of paramount importance for container terminals. A refrigerated container is not simply another container waiting on the premises. It contains cargo whose condition is constantly changing during transit. The terminal cannot control every single step of this transport, but it can expedite its own part, making it more transparent and predictable.
This means reliable refrigerated container infrastructure, efficient handling, and increasingly better transparency about what happens to each individual container.
Ultimately, Kenya's export success will depend on more than just producing the right flowers, fruits, or vegetables. The product begins its journey on the farm. Its quality depends on every single step that follows.
Delve deeper into one of our core topics: Refrigerated containers
Floriculture is the branch of horticulture dedicated to cultivating, managing, and marketing flowering and ornamental plants for decorative, aesthetic, and commercial purposes. It encompasses the production of cut flowers, potted flowering plants, bedding plants, foliage, and bulbs, often in greenhouses or nurseries, as well as floral arrangement and post-harvest handling. The term derives from Latin floris (flower) and culture (cultivation). (9)
Royal FloraHolland is the world’s largest B2B marketplace and auction cooperative for flowers and plants, headquartered in Aalsmeer, Netherlands. Founded in 1911 and formed by the 2008 merger of three major Dutch flower auctions, it operates as a grower-owned cooperative with around 3,000 members and handles roughly 100,000 transactions daily. Using a descending-price “clock” auction plus digital platforms like Floriday, it trades over 12 billion flowers and plants annually, generating more than USD 5.5 billion in turnover. (10)
Reference:
(2) https://www.fas.usda.gov/data/gain/2026/04/kenya-avocado
(3) https://www.iatp.org/kenya-livestock-sector
(4) https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/kenya-floriculture-market
(5) https://hudumaglobal.com/blog/kenya-flower-industry-cut-flower-exporter
(6) https://afa.go.ke/download/2044/?tmstv=1736318020
(8) https://www.foodlog.nl/artikel/kenyas-roses-set-sail
(9) Nag, Khiromani (2019): Principles and Practices of Floriculture. Narendra Publishing House.
(10) https://www.royalfloraholland.com/en
Note: This article was partly created with the assistance of artificial intelligence to support drafting.