Skip to main content
+254 754 550 099  |  [email protected] Login Register
Serving customers worldwide — servers in Nairobi, Kenya · Pay securely with Visa, Mastercard, or M-Pesa via PesaPal
Price index

What a .ke Domain Really Costs

Every Kenyan extension with its renewal price next to its registration price, because the renewal is the number you actually pay every year. Generated from live pricing on 16 September 2026.

Almost every Kenyan hosting company advertises a first-year price for a .co.ke. Far fewer publish what it costs in year two, and that is the figure that decides what the domain really costs you over the life of a business. So here is ours, in full, including the ones where the gap is uncomfortable.

Every .ke extension, register and renew

Extension Register Renew each year Renewal vs standing price Intended for
.co.ke KSh 499
promo, normally KSh 1,200 · ends 30 Sep 2026
KSh 1,700 1.4× Businesses and commercial use. The default choice for most Kenyan companies.
.or.ke KSh 1,300 KSh 1,500 1.2× Non-profit organisations, NGOs, churches and societies.
.ac.ke KSh 499 KSh 1,500 3.0× Universities, colleges and other higher-education institutions.
.sc.ke KSh 240 KSh 1,800 7.5× Primary and secondary schools.
.me.ke KSh 1,440 KSh 1,440 same Personal names and individual use.
.info.ke KSh 1,300 KSh 1,500 1.2× Information services.
.ne.ke KSh 1,200 KSh 1,800 1.5× Network providers and infrastructure.
.go.ke KSh 1,200 KSh 1,200 same Kenyan government bodies only.
.ke KSh 3,000 KSh 3,000 same The short form, open to anyone, priced as a premium.

These are Hostiko's own prices, in Kenyan Shillings, including our margin. The multiple compares the renewal against the standing registration price rather than a promotional one, so a discount does not flatter the number. The full list of all 544 extensions we sell is on the domains page.

Why the second year costs more than the first

The first year of a domain is usually a promotional price. The renewal is the standing rate. Registries set a wholesale annual fee, and the discount on a first-year registration is a marketing cost the provider absorbs to win the customer. Nobody absorbs it twice.

That is an industry-wide structure rather than one company's pricing policy, and there is nothing dishonest in it. What is dishonest is advertising the first year and staying quiet about the second, which is why this page exists.

The sharpest example in the .ke family is the one for schools

A .sc.ke costs KSh 240 to register and KSh 1,800 a year to renew, roughly 7.5 times the first-year price. A school setting a budget from the registration figure will be short every year after the first. If you run a school, budget from the renewal number. More on school websites.

It is much steeper outside .ke

The Kenyan extensions are comparatively mild. Across the 544 extensions we sell, 222 renew at more than double their standing registration price. These are the widest gaps in the catalogue today:

Extension Register Renew Multiple
.host KSh 770 KSh 17,150 22.3×
.name.ng KSh 50 KSh 1,080 21.6×
.courses KSh 330 KSh 6,070 18.4×
.study KSh 330 KSh 6,070 18.4×
.press KSh 770 KSh 13,560 17.6×
.lat KSh 300 KSh 5,060 16.9×
.lol KSh 300 KSh 5,060 16.9×
.pics KSh 300 KSh 5,060 16.9×

A novelty extension at a low first-year price is where this bites hardest. It is worth knowing before you build a brand on one.

How to check what you will actually pay

This works with any provider, including us. Four questions settle it:

  1. What is the renewal price, in shillings, per year? Not the first-year price. If a provider cannot tell you plainly, that is your answer.
  2. When does the promotional price end? A promotion with no end date stated is a promotion that ends whenever it suits the seller.
  3. Whose name is on the registration? It should be yours or your organisation's, not your web designer's and not the hosting company's. This is the single most common problem we are asked to untangle.
  4. Can you move it, and what does that cost? A .ke domain belongs to its registrant and can be transferred. Any suggestion otherwise is a reason to leave.

Write the renewal figure into your budget rather than the registration figure. Over five years it is the only number that matters.

Who actually runs .ke

The .ke namespace is administered by KENIC, the Kenya Network Information Centre, which maintains the registry and sets the rules for who may hold which extension. Providers like us are resellers further down the chain; we do not set eligibility and we cannot make an exception to it.

The restricted extensions, particularly .ac.ke, .sc.ke and .go.ke, are intended for specific kinds of institution and may require documentation. Because those rules are KENIC's and can change, confirm the current requirements with them before you plan around a restricted extension. .co.ke and .or.ke are open.

Common questions about .ke pricing

.co.ke is KSh 499 for the first year right now (normally KSh 1,200), then KSh 1,700 a year to renew. The registration price and the renewal price are different numbers, and the renewal is the one you pay every year after the first.

Because the first year is usually a promotional price and the renewal is the standing rate. Registries set a wholesale annual price, and the discount you see on a first-year registration is a marketing cost the provider absorbs to win you. Nobody absorbs it a second time. This is how the whole industry works, not one provider, which is why the renewal price is the figure worth asking for before you buy.

.sc.ke, the extension for schools. It is KSh 240 to register and KSh 1,800 a year to renew, which is about 7.5 times the first-year price. Schools budgeting a year ahead should plan for the renewal rather than the registration.

The restricted .ke extensions are intended for specific kinds of organisation, and .sc.ke is for schools. Eligibility rules are set by KENIC, the national registry, rather than by us, so check the current requirements with them before you plan around one. If a restricted extension is not available to you, .co.ke and .or.ke are open.

For customers in Kenya, usually yes. It says immediately where you are, and Kenyan buyers recognise and trust it. If most of your customers are abroad, a .com travels better. Plenty of businesses register both and point one at the other.

Yes. A .ke domain belongs to whoever is named as the registrant, not to the provider hosting it, and you can move it. Ask your current provider for the authorisation code. If anyone tells you a domain cannot be moved, that is a reason to move it.

Registry prices move, and promotional prices end on a stated date. The table on this page is generated from our live pricing every time the page loads, so what you see is current as of today rather than whenever this page was written.

Check a name against these prices

Search any .ke name and see the registration and renewal price before you pay.

Search a domain How registration works

Prices generated from our live pricing on 16 September 2026 and stated in Kenyan Shillings. Registry pricing changes; this page regenerates itself, so it is current whenever you read it.