How Much Does a Website Cost in Kenya in 2026?

The short answer: In 2026 a website in Kenya costs about Ksh 30,000 to 50,000 for a simple brochure site, Ksh 70,000 to 120,000 for a business site with M-Pesa payments, and Ksh 120,000 to 200,000 for an online shop. On top of the build, budget every year for the domain, hosting and maintenance. The scope, not the design, sets most of the price.

Ask five developers in Nairobi what a website costs and you will get five answers, some ten times higher than others. Usually they are pricing different things. One quotes a template with three pages. Another quotes a shop with M-Pesa, stock control and a year of support. This guide explains what you are actually paying for, so you can compare quotes fairly.

How much does a website cost in Kenya?#

The price depends mostly on what the website must do. A site that only shows information costs least. A site that takes payments costs more. A shop that manages products, stock and orders costs most.

• Simple website (up to about five pages, contact form, WhatsApp button, mobile-friendly): Ksh 30,000 to 50,000
• Business website with M-Pesa (more pages, booking or order form, M-Pesa payment, basic search optimisation): Ksh 70,000 to 120,000
• Online shop (product catalogue, cart, M-Pesa and card checkout, stock, order emails, admin dashboard): Ksh 120,000 to 200,000
• Yearly running costs (domain, hosting, security updates, backups): Ksh 8,000 to 15,000 a year

Prices checked October 2026. These are Cloudwise's own bands. For comparison, published prices from other Kenyan web companies run from about Ksh 25,000 for a small site to Ksh 500,000 or more for a large shop.

What drives the price of a website?#

Five things decide most of the price: the number of different page types, payments, content, custom features and who maintains the site afterwards.

1. Page types, not page count. Ten pages that share one layout cost less than four pages that each need a different design. A product page, a booking page and a blog page are different page types.
2. Payments. Taking M-Pesa or card payments means connecting to a payment provider, testing it and handling failed payments. It is the single biggest jump between a simple site and a business site.
3. Content. If you supply finished text and good photos, the build is faster. If the developer has to write the words or organise a photo shoot, expect to pay for it.
4. Custom features. Bookings, member logins, stock control, delivery fee calculators and links to your accounting system all take extra work.
5. Support after launch. A site with a year of updates and help costs more up front, and less in emergencies later.

Design matters, but it is rarely the main cost. A clean, fast layout that works on a phone is more valuable than an elaborate one that loads slowly.

What are the running costs of a website in Kenya?#

A website has costs every year after it is built: the domain name, hosting and maintenance. Ask for these in writing before you agree to a build, because a cheap build with expensive yearly fees is not cheap.

• Domain name. Your address, such as yourbusiness.co.ke. Kenyan .ke domains are managed by KeNIC and sold through accredited registrars. You renew it every year. Make sure it is registered in your business's name, not the developer's.
• Hosting. The server where the site lives. Cheap shared hosting is fine for a simple site. A shop with many products and visitors needs more.
• Maintenance. Security updates, backups, fixing anything that breaks when a plugin or browser changes, and small content edits.
• Payment fees. M-Pesa and card providers charge per transaction. These come from your sales, not from the developer.

How much does it cost to add M-Pesa to a website?#

Adding M-Pesa is usually the step that moves a site from the simple band to the business band, because it needs a payment connection, testing and a way to confirm each payment. At Cloudwise, M-Pesa set-up is included in the business band. Adding it to a site you already have costs Ksh 20,000 to 35,000.

There are two common ways to take M-Pesa on a website. The simple way shows your Paybill or Till number and asks the customer to pay and enter the code. The better way sends a payment prompt straight to the customer's phone (STK push, through Safaricom's Daraja API), and the site confirms the payment automatically.

It is worth doing. According to the Communications Authority of Kenya, mobile money subscriptions reached 54 million by 30 June 2026, up 13.2% in a year (checked October 2026). Your customers already pay this way. A website that makes them leave to pay elsewhere loses some of them at that step.

Our own course booking page is a working example. When someone books an AI class on cloudwise.co.ke, they pay by M-Pesa as part of the booking: a payment prompt arrives on their phone, they enter their M-Pesa PIN, and the page confirms the payment.

We cover the details in our guide on how to accept M-Pesa payments on your website.

If you sell many products, need stock control and want both M-Pesa and card payments, see our e-commerce websites with M-Pesa and card payments.

Should I use a website builder, a template or a custom build?#

Use a builder if you need something simple this week and can maintain it yourself. Use a template if you need a professional site on a modest budget. Choose a custom build when the site has to do something specific for your business, such as bookings, M-Pesa or stock.

• Website builder (you build it yourself on a monthly subscription): lowest start-up cost, but monthly fees in foreign currency add up, M-Pesa options are limited, and moving away later is hard.
• Template (a developer adapts a ready-made design): faster and cheaper than custom, good for brochure sites. Check that it loads quickly on a phone and that you can edit it.
• Custom build (designed and built for your business): costs more up front, but fits your process exactly, and you own the code.

The most expensive option is often the one you rebuild after a year because it could not grow with the business.

What questions should I ask a web developer before I pay?#

Ask questions that turn a vague quote into a clear one. A good developer will answer all of them in writing.

1. Exactly what pages and features are included, and what costs extra?
2. Who owns the domain, the hosting account and the code when the work is done?
3. What are the yearly costs after launch, and what do they cover?
4. Will the site work well on a cheap Android phone on mobile data?
5. How will customers pay, and how will I know a payment has arrived?
6. Can I edit text, prices and photos myself, and will you show me how?
7. How many rounds of changes are included?
8. Can I see two sites you built that are live and still working?

Many of the problems we see on Kenyan small business sites are about slow pages and unclear next steps, not price. Our post on five website mistakes that cost you sales lists the common ones.

How does Cloudwise price a website?#

We price a website by scope: what it must do, how customers will pay, and who maintains it afterwards. You get a fixed quote with the features listed, and the yearly costs stated separately.

Cloudwise is an ICT company at Delta Annex, Westlands, Nairobi. We build websites and web apps in Nairobi that load quickly on a phone and turn visitors into enquiries, with M-Pesa and card payments where the business needs them. Our current bands are Ksh 30,000 to 50,000 for a simple site, Ksh 70,000 to 120,000 for a business site with M-Pesa, Ksh 120,000 to 200,000 for an online shop, and Ksh 8,000 to 15,000 a year to run it (checked October 2026).

Frequently asked questions#

How long does a website take to build in Kenya?#

A simple site usually takes one to two weeks. A business site with M-Pesa takes three to four weeks, and an online shop takes four to eight weeks. The biggest cause of delay is waiting for content: text, photos, prices and payment account details. Have these ready before the build starts and the timeline shortens.

Do I own the website when it is done?#

You should. Agree in writing that the domain is registered in your business's name, that you have the login to the hosting account, and that the code and content belong to you once you have paid. If a developer keeps the domain in their own name, moving to someone else later becomes difficult and expensive.

Can I edit the website myself?#

Yes, if it is built for that. Ask for a site where you can change text, prices, photos and blog posts yourself, and for a short handover session showing how. Leave changes to the layout, payments and anything technical to the developer, so a small edit does not break the checkout.