# SMS pricing in Kenya

> SMS to Kenya costs from $0.03 per message (indicative list rate, reviewed 2026-09-24) over 3 direct operators (Safaricom, Airtel Kenya, Telkom Kenya); sender IDs are registered with the CA in 5-7 business days.

- Canonical URL: https://www.broadnet.me/pricing/sms/kenya
- Language: en
- Last updated: 2026-10-21
- Publisher: BroadNet (https://www.broadnet.me)

Indicative A2P SMS list rates per message, reviewed 2026-09-24. Regulator: CA.

## Rates by operator

| Operator | Rate (USD) | Send window |
|---|---|---|
| Safaricom | $0.0346 | — |
| Airtel Kenya | $0.0323 | — |
| Telkom Kenya | $0.0300 | — |

## Market facts

- Regulator: Communications Authority of Kenya (CA)
- Sender-ID lead time: 5-7 business days
- Time to launch: Live in 5–15 business days from test-access request to production
- Typical OTP latency: 3.1 s
- Mobile subscribers: 65M
- Dialling code · MCC: +254 / 639
- Billing currencies: USD, KES
- Published SMS band: USD 0.022 – 0.04

## Sender-ID rules

CA + operator sender ID registration. Safaricom requires content templates approved per use case. English and Swahili scripts supported.

## SMS to Kenya: common questions

### Which operators carry SMS to Kenya, and at what rate?

BroadNet sends over 3 routes (Safaricom, Airtel Kenya, Telkom Kenya). The lowest indicative list rate is $0.03 per message, reviewed 2026-09-24; volume tiers lower it automatically from 100K messages a month.

### What does the SMS price include?

Each segment is billed once: a message longer than 160 GSM-7 characters is split into segments. Delivery receipts are included with no per-receipt fee, there is no setup fee, and sender-ID registration is passed through at cost.

### Do I need to register a sender ID in Kenya?

Yes. Sender IDs are registered with the CA; typical lead time: 5-7 business days. BroadNet handles the registration during onboarding.

### How do I get test access for Kenya?

Request test access from this page; we reply within one business day. Live in 5–15 business days from test-access request to production.

Coverage and sender-ID rules: https://www.broadnet.me/coverage/kenya