Last verified: 15 September 2026 · 🔴 volatility for rates/limits/fees.
The currency
- Kenyan Shilling (KES / KSh). Notes: 50, 100, 200, 500, 1,000. Coins: 1, 5, 10, 20, 40 (and smaller).
- Exchange rate is variable — check a live rate (e.g. xe.com) near travel.
[Live rate: verify — HIGH volatility] - USD is widely accepted for safaris, park fees, upscale hotels and tours (often priced in USD). Carry recent, clean USD notes — old series or damaged notes are sometimes refused, and larger denominations often get better rates.
How visitors actually pay day to day
Kenya is heavily cashless via mobile money. In practice:
- M-Pesa (mobile money) is used for almost everything — shops, taxis, markets, restaurants, bills.
- Cards work at hotels, malls, supermarkets, chain restaurants and many mid/upper venues (Visa/Mastercard widely; Amex less so).
- Cash (KES) still matters for matatus, small vendors, markets, tips, and rural areas.
- Apple Pay / Google Pay: limited acceptance — don't rely on them; M-Pesa or card + some cash is the reliable combo.
M-Pesa for visitors — the deep dive
Yes, foreigners can use M-Pesa. You don't need a Kenyan ID, bank account or work permit — just a Safaricom SIM and your passport.
Setting it up
- Buy a Safaricom SIM (airport, Safaricom shop, or M-Pesa agent) — bring your passport; registration is mandatory and free.
- Register M-Pesa at an agent (green-and-red M-PESA branding — in malls, supermarkets, petrol stations, street kiosks): present your original passport, give your Safaricom number, fill a short form. You get an SMS confirmation and set a 4-digit PIN.
- Load cash ("deposit"): hand KES cash to any agent → it appears in your M-Pesa wallet. Depositing is free. You can also receive international transfers into M-Pesa via services like WorldRemit, Wise, Western Union.
Using it (menu via *334#, or the M-PESA app)
- Send money to any phone number.
- Lipa na M-Pesa — Pay Bill: enter a business number + account number (utilities, hotels, tickets).
- Lipa na M-Pesa — Buy Goods (Till): enter a till number (shops, restaurants) — often shown at the counter.
- Withdraw cash at an agent (small fee applies).
- Buy airtime/data for yourself directly.
Limits (subject to change — confirm at registration)
- Send money: up to ~KES 500,000/day, ~KES 150,000/transaction
- Withdrawals: up to ~KES 300,000/day
- Wallet balance cap: ~KES 500,000
Sources: mobilemoney.co.ke tourist setup guide. Verified 15 Sep 2026 — limits/fees are HIGH volatility, confirm with Safaricom.
Fees and good habits
- Deposits are free; withdrawals and some sends carry small tiered fees (a "tariff" chart is standard).
- Never share your PIN; Safaricom/M-Pesa staff will never ask for it. Ignore texts/calls claiming a "reversal" needing your PIN — a common scam.
- Keep some cash for places without M-Pesa, and note your Safaricom number carefully.
ATMs, banks and forex
- ATMs are widespread in towns (major banks: KCB, Equity, Co-op, Absa, Standard Chartered, NCBA). Use ATMs inside bank branches or malls, ideally in daylight.
- Foreign-card fees: expect a local ATM fee + your home bank's foreign-transaction fee; withdraw larger amounts less often to save on flat fees (mind safety).
- Forex bureaus in towns usually beat airport and hotel rates — change a little at the airport, more in town.
- Notify your bank of travel so cards aren't blocked.
Tipping and service charges (see culture file too)
- Restaurants: ~10% is appreciated in tourist areas if service isn't already included — check for a "service charge" on the bill.
- Safari guide/driver: customary; commonly a few USD per guest per day (agree norms with your operator).
- Hotel porters/housekeeping: small notes appreciated.
- Taxis/ride-hailing: rounding up is fine; not obligatory. Matatus: no tipping.
Bargaining and payment scams
- Bargain at markets and with informal taxis; don't bargain in supermarkets, malls, fixed-price shops, or for park fees.
- Watch for: "broken card machine, pay cash" pressure, inflated tourist prices, fake M-Pesa confirmation texts (verify money actually arrived in your balance before handing over goods), and currency short-changing.
Quick budget reference (rough, verify)
- Street food / local meal: ~KES 100–400
- Mid-range restaurant main: ~KES 800–2,000
- Matatu ride in town: ~KES 50–150
- Bottled water: ~KES 50–100
- Non-resident national park fee (adult/day): ~USD 80–100+ (Mara higher in peak season — see safari file)
(Prices HIGH volatility — treat as order-of-magnitude, verify near travel.)