Toyota Hilux 9th-gen launches in Kenya: what KES 10.8 million gets you

Toyota’s ninth-generation Hilux is now in Kenya, starting at KES 7,870,000 for the Mid specification and KES 10,840,000 for the High. CFAO Mobility Kenya, Toyota’s local distributor, launched the pickup under its New Shujaa campaign in Nairobi on 29th October 2026. Both launch versions are locally assembled double cabs, with two rows of passenger seating, a 2.8-litre turbo diesel engine and a six-speed automatic gearbox.

That leaves a KES 2,970,000 decision between the two, a premium of about 38% over the Mid’s price. CFAO’s launch specifications give them the same engine output. The extra money buys a different cabin and more equipment, so a buyer choosing between them needs to look beyond the engine size.

There is also a reason to compare outside the Toyota range before paying for the High. CFAO itself advertises the BYD Shark 6 from KES 10.7 million, just KES 140,000 below the High-spec Hilux. That pickup is a plug-in hybrid, with a petrol engine and a battery that can be recharged from an external power supply. It has different advertised carrying and towing limits, which matter if the vehicle will earn its keep moving goods or equipment.

The Mid already has an 8-inch touchscreen, eight speakers, wireless phone charging and cruise control. Front and rear parking sensors, fabric seats and 17-inch alloy wheels are also on its launch equipment list. CFAO is targeting this version at businesses and fleet customers.

The High moves to a 12.3-inch touchscreen and nine-speaker premium audio. It adds leather seats, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, a 360-degree camera system, power-folding mirrors, tyre-pressure sensors and 18-inch alloy wheels. The camera gives the driver a view around the pickup when manoeuvring, a practical addition alongside the cabin upgrades.

Specification	Hilux Mid	Hilux High	BYD Shark 6
Advertised Kenya price	KES 7,870,000	KES 10,840,000	From KES 10,700,000
Engine / power system	2.8-litre turbo diesel	2.8-litre turbo diesel	Petrol plug-in hybrid
Touchscreen	8 inches	12.3 inches	15.6 inches
Seats	Fabric	Leather; powered driver’s seat	Leather; heated and ventilated seats listed
Advertised payload	Up to about 1,000kg	Up to about 1,000kg	750kg
Advertised towing capacity	3,500kg, braked trailer	3,500kg, braked trailer	2,500kg

The Hilux figures come from CFAO’s launch specifications; the Shark 6 figures are from its separate Kenya campaign page. Payload is the vehicle’s carrying allowance, while towing is the trailer mass it can pull. The Hilux’s 3,500kg figure requires a trailer with its own brakes. Buyers should get the exact limits for their chosen variant before ordering for a particular load.

Those figures give the Hilux a stronger advertised towing allowance than the Shark 6, even though the High’s price is slightly higher. They also show why screen size alone is a poor way to choose between these pickups. We have not road-tested either vehicle for this comparison.

Both launch Hilux versions have a stated 150kW of power and 500Nm of torque, the engine’s turning force. CFAO also lists four-wheel drive, a motorised rear differential lock and downhill assistance. Multi-Terrain Select adjusts drive power and braking to suit the surface. These systems help the driver manage traction and steep descents when the work takes the pickup off paved roads.

CFAO quotes fuel economy of 12km per litre, equivalent to about 8.3 litres per 100km, and an 80-litre tank. Its release gives no test cycle or loading conditions for that consumption figure. Treat it as a company claim when estimating fuel costs; it is not a measured result from our use.

The ownership package includes a five-year or 150,000km warranty, whichever comes first. CFAO puts its support network at more than 50 branches, dealerships and authorised service centres. Last month, when we covered its takeover of the Case IH tractor business, parts and servicing were central to the same business proposition: keeping a working vehicle available for the job.

CFAO says the new Hilux is adapted for Kenyan heat, dust, rain and roads, continuing local assembly that it reintroduced in 2019. The release does not itemise those adaptations or the share of components made locally. It also leaves price inclusions, the full safety equipment by trim and the interest rates, fees and repayment periods behind its advertised up-to-100% bank financing unspecified.

Buyers looking for a 2.4-litre engine or a single cab have another decision: CFAO plans to introduce those models in 2027, with no exact launch date or prices in this announcement. For anyone buying now, the Mid already contains much of the everyday cabin equipment. Spending the extra KES 2.97 million on the High needs to be justified by its camera system and comfort upgrades, with the similarly priced Shark 6 also worth comparing against the loads the vehicle will actually carry and tow.