Best Domain Registrars in Kenya

Recommendations for .ke, .co.ke and .com domains, plus notes on local rules, payment methods, and support languages.

Last updated 2026-08-19Prices checked monthly1 of 9 scored reviews with published testing notes6 registrars with primary-source pricingTransparent methodology

Short answer

Kenya's namespace is structured and registrar-only. KeNIC operates .ke and its second levels, and names can be registered exclusively through KeNIC-accredited registrars; none of the registrars we track hold that accreditation. .co.ke is the commercial default, with .or.ke, .ne.ke, .me.ke, .mobi.ke, .info.ke, .sc.ke, .ac.ke and .go.ke serving their own categories. Registration and renewal run in one-year steps up to a five-year maximum, which is shorter than the ten years most gTLDs allow, so diarise renewals. KeNIC's published material we reviewed does not impose a nationality test for the open second levels.

Best options

Use case	Recommended	Why
Local ccTLD (.ke)	—	No global registrar we track sells .ke — register through a registry-accredited local registrar.
.com from Kenya	Porkbun	Verified .com renewal of $11.08. WHOIS privacy: free, included by default.
Business use	Namecheap	Support channels: 24/7 live chat, ticket support, knowledge base.
Developers	Cloudflare Registrar	Industry-leading anycast DNS with deep developer tooling. Public API documented.

The .com, business and developer picks above are the same in every country we cover, and we would rather say so than imply otherwise: they are global registrars, and nothing about them changes at a border. What genuinely varies by country is on this page below — which registrars can sell the local ccTLD and under what eligibility rules, how billing and VAT work, and which support languages are available.

Local registry and rules

Registry operator: Kenya Network Information Center (KeNIC) (kenic.or.ke)

Policy authority: Kenya Network Information Center (KeNIC)

Local presence: The KeNIC material we reviewed does not state a nationality restriction for the open second levels. Names can be registered only through KeNIC-accredited registrars; confirm your case with an accredited registrar.

DNSSEC: Signed at the root

IDN: No separate IDN ccTLD is delegated for Kenya.

KeNIC's second levels are .co.ke, .or.ke, .ne.ke, .go.ke, .me.ke, .mobi.ke, .info.ke, .sc.ke and .ac.ke. Registration and renewal run in one-year steps to a five-year maximum per transaction, shorter than the ten years most gTLDs allow.

Source: kenic.or.ke/ke-domain-registration-process/

ccTLD breakdown

.co.ke

Last checked 2026-08-19

Purpose: Commercial second level, the default Kenyan business identity.

Eligibility: Registered only through KeNIC-accredited registrars. The KeNIC material we reviewed does not state a nationality restriction for the open second levels; confirm with an accredited registrar for your case.

Tracked registrars that sell .co.ke

None of the registrars we track sell .co.ke at retail — it's available only through registry-accredited registrars (see Local registry and rules above for the official list).

Registration and renewal have a one-year minimum and a five-year maximum in a single transaction. Registrant contact data is collected to protect the owner's interest and is not published openly.

.ke

Last checked 2026-08-19

Purpose: Kenya's country code, with the working namespace organised under second levels.

Eligibility: Delegated through the same accredited-registrar channel as .co.ke.

Tracked registrars that sell .ke

None of the registrars we track sell .ke at retail — it's available only through registry-accredited registrars (see Local registry and rules above for the official list).

KeNIC's second levels are .co.ke, .or.ke, .ne.ke, .go.ke, .me.ke, .mobi.ke, .info.ke, .sc.ke and .ac.ke. KeNIC also runs registration desks at Huduma Centres.

.com pricing in USD

Verified and sample pricing per registrar for this TLD, with first-year, renewal, three-year cost and the date each figure was checked
	Registrar	First-year	Renewal	3-year cost	WHOIS privacy	Last checked
(verified price)	Spaceship	$8.88 +$0.20	$9.98 +$0.20	$29.44	Free	2026-08-19
(verified price)	Dynadot	$10.88	$10.88	$32.64	Free	2026-08-19
(verified price)	Porkbun	$11.08	$11.08	$33.24	Free	2026-08-19
(verified price)	NameSilo	$17.29	$17.29	$51.87	Free	2026-08-19
(verified price)	Namecheap	$11.28	$18.48	$48.24	Free, with exceptions	2026-08-19
(verified price)	Hover	$18.99	$18.99	$56.97	Free, with exceptions	2026-08-19
(sample price, not yet verified)	Cloudflare Registrar	$10.44	$10.44	$31.32	Free	2026-05-12
(sample price, not yet verified)	Squarespace Domains	$11.00	$20.00	$51.00	Free	2026-05-12
(sample price, not yet verified)	GoDaddy	$11.99	$21.99	$55.97	Free, with exceptions	2026-05-12

+$0.20 marks the mandatory ICANN fee where a registrar itemises it separately instead of including it in the headline price. Prices are shown exactly as each registrar publishes them, and every ranking on this site compares the all-in total, so no registrar gains a position by splitting its price up.

Verified from the registrar's official pricing pageSample / preview pricing — pending verificationData sources

Most global registrars price domains in USD; local registrars often invoice in KES.

Can a registrar we track handle Kenya?

No registrar whose prices we verify sells any of the ccTLDs on this page, so a local or specialist registrar is the only route to them. A global registrar can still hold the .com, which renews from $10.18 at the cheapest seller we verify — many owners here run both.

Kenya ccTLDs and whether a registrar we verify sells each one
ccTLD	Sellers we verify	Cheapest verified renewal	vs cheapest .com
.co.ke	0	Local registrar only	—
.ke	0	Local registrar only	—

Renewals are all-in and per year, at the cheapest registrar we verify for that extension, checked 2026-08-19. The .com reference is the cheapest verified .com renewal ($10.18). "Listed" counts registrars our country notes record as selling the extension without a price we have read ourselves.

What this page does not tell you: how the registrars based in Kenya compare. We do not track a single registrar based there — so any claim here that a local registrar is cheaper, better supported or easier to pay would be invention. Where local billing in Kenyan Shilling (KES), local-language support, or a registry rule requires a local registrar, that is a reason to use one, and comparing them is work we have not done.

FAQ

What is the best domain registrar in Kenya?

Do I need a local presence to register a .ke domain?

The KeNIC material we reviewed does not state a nationality restriction for the open second levels. Names can be registered only through KeNIC-accredited registrars; confirm your case with an accredited registrar.

Which global registrars sell .ke?

None of the registrars we track sell .co.ke at retail. Registration and renewal have a one-year minimum and a five-year maximum in a single transaction. Registrant contact data is collected to protect the owner's interest and is not published openly.

Which currency are domains billed in for users in Kenya?

Most global registrars bill in USD regardless of buyer location. Local registrars typically invoice in Kenyan Shilling (KES). KeNIC-accredited registrars invoice in shillings and M-Pesa is the dominant payment rail, which is the practical reason Kenyan buyers use local providers. Global registrars bill in USD by card for gTLDs.

What payment methods work in Kenya?

KeNIC-accredited registrars invoice in shillings and M-Pesa is the dominant payment rail, which is the practical reason Kenyan buyers use local providers. Global registrars bill in USD by card for gTLDs.

Sources and changelog

Last checked: 2026-08-19
kenic.or.ke/ke-domain-registration-process/ — registry source
/cctlds/ — Kenya's ccTLD in the full index
ccTLD registrar coverage — which registrars sell which country-code domains
domain registrar lookup — already own a domain? find its current registrar
/methodology/ — site-wide methodology
/changelog/ — site-wide changelog