Jiji
Nairobi, East Africa’s business capital
Regional headquarters for multinationals, banks and development agencies, and home to UNEP and UN-Habitat, the only UN headquarters in the Global South.
Karibu Kenya · Market entry into Kenya
Make a grand entry into Kenya.
We take foreign companies from first study to a registered, licensed, staffed and compliant Kenyan operation, with one partner at every gate. While we work, you are free to explore the country.
9solutions under one engagement
1named partner from first call to handover
20 wkstypical path from first study to licensed trading
GRAND ENTRYBoarding pass
FromLHRLondon
ToNBONairobi
PassengerYour company
StatusAdmitted to trade
Gate
02
Seat
CR1-KE
Kenya kwa picha · Kenya in pictures
From the boardroom to the savannah before dinner.
Fursa · What Kenya offers
Why companies choose Kenya.
East Africa’s business capital, its busiest port, a world-class safari and the Indian Ocean coast, all in one country. This is the market we help you enter.
Teknolojia
The Silicon Savannah
Mobile money began here when M-Pesa launched in 2007. Kenya is one of Africa’s four leading markets for start-up investment.
Lango
Gateway to East Africa
The Port of Mombasa, the Standard Gauge Railway and new expressways serve Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan and eastern Congo.
Pwani
The Swahili coast
White-sand beaches at Diani and Watamu, dhows on the Indian Ocean, and Lamu Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Kilimo
Tea, coffee and flowers
Kenya is one of the world’s leading exporters of black tea, and its highland roses fill florists across Europe.
Mbuga
Safari on the doorstep
Nairobi National Park lies inside the capital, minutes from the business district. The Maasai Mara hosts the Great Migration from July to October.
Milima
Mount Kenya and the Rift Valley
Africa’s second-highest peak, the lakes of the Great Rift Valley and a highland climate that stays mild all year.
Watu
People and culture
More than forty communities, two official languages in English and Kiswahili, and a young, educated workforce.
Karibu sana
Your company belongs here.
Tell us where you are coming from and what you plan to build. We will map your route through every gate.
The institutions we navigate for you
- Kenya Investment Authority
- Business Registration Service
- Kenya Revenue Authority
- Directorate of Immigration Services
- Special Economic Zones Authority
- Export Processing Zones Authority
- Nairobi International Financial Centre Authority
- National Environment Management Authority
- Kenya Bureau of Standards
- Office of the Data Protection Commissioner
- Kenya Industrial Property Institute
- Central Bank of Kenya
- Communications Authority of Kenya
- County governments
Kenya at entry
The numbers that shape an entry plan.
Four figures our clients ask about first, each explained in full in our guides.
USD, minimum100,000
Minimum proposed investment for a foreign investor's KenInvest Investment Certificate.
The certificate explainedSEZ tax rate10%
Corporate tax for Special Economic Zone companies in their first ten years, against the standard 30%.
SEZ or EPZ?ICT ownership100%
Foreign ownership open to ICT licensees since the 30% local shareholding rule was removed in August 2023.
Registering as a foreignerKES per year500,000
Annual issuance fee for a Class D work permit, plus KES 20,000 to process the application.
Work permits explainedFigures checked 12 October 2026. Rules change with each Finance Act and gazette notice; we confirm them at the start of every engagement.
The product line
Nine solutions. One engagement.
The gates follow the order a company passes through them, from first study to the compliance calendar. Take one gate or the whole route.
01
Market Entry Intelligence
Know the market before you commit capital.
Demand, pricing, regulation, location and partners, tested before you commit. The output is a board-ready report with explicit assumptions and a recommended entry route.
- Market sizing and pricing studies
- Regulatory scan and licence matrix
- Entry mode, location and tax structure options
- Partner and acquisition due diligence
- Fact-finding missions to Nairobi
- Board-ready report and debrief
Best for: Boards, founders and regional directors deciding whether, where and how to enter Kenya.
Explore Market Entry Intelligence02
Company Formation
A Kenyan legal presence, built right the first time.
Subsidiary or branch, documents legalised abroad, registration on eCitizen, beneficial ownership, KRA, eTIMS and brand protection, handed over in one complete pack.
- Subsidiary incorporation or branch registration
- Notarisation and apostille of parent documents
- Beneficial ownership filing and statutory registers
- KRA PIN, iTax obligations and eTIMS onboarding
- Company secretary, registered office and local representative
- Trademark and data protection registration
Best for: Investors ready to establish a Kenyan entity, or to put an existing one in order.
Explore Company Formation03
Investor Facilitation
Every certificate and incentive your investment qualifies for.
The KenInvest Investment Certificate, zone licences and financial centre certification, with a clear schedule of the incentives your project can claim and the conditions attached.
- KenInvest Investment Certificate applications
- Special Economic Zone licensing
- Export Processing Zone licensing
- Nairobi International Financial Centre certification
- Incentive mapping and claims with tax partners
Best for: Capital-intensive projects, exporters, regional headquarters and financial firms.
Explore Investor Facilitation04
Licensing and Permits
Every permit your activity needs, from county hall to sector regulator.
County permits, environmental and standards approvals and sector licences, filed in the right order and logged with their renewal dates.
- County business permits, fire and health licences
- NEMA, KEBS and occupational safety approvals
- Sector licences from CBK, the Communications Authority, EPRA, IRA and others
- Inspection preparation and a renewals calendar
Best for: Any company that must be licensed before it can trade.
Explore Licensing and Permits05
Immigration and Mobility
Your people on the ground, lawfully and on time.
The right permit class, a complete application, a credible localisation plan and a renewal calendar for every foreign employee and their family.
- Electronic Travel Authorisations and Special Passes
- Work permits: Class D for employees, Class G for investors
- Understudy and localisation plans
- Dependant's passes for families
- Foreign national registration, renewals and exits
Best for: Employers relocating executives, specialists and their families to Kenya.
Explore Immigration and Mobility06
People and Payroll
Hire in Kenya, with or without an entity.
Employer of record for teams hired before incorporation, compliant monthly payroll for your own entity, and the contracts, policies and benefits that go with them.
- Employer of record for teams hired before incorporation
- Payroll and remittances: PAYE, NSSF, SHIF and the Housing Levy
- Employment contracts and HR policies
- Recruitment, background checks and benefits design
Best for: International employers building a Kenyan team.
Explore People and Payroll07
Market Access and Government Relations
Known to the people who matter before you need them.
Structured engagement with regulators and ministries, plain-English policy briefings, launch communications and the partners and channels that open the market.
- Introductions to regulators, ministries and counties
- Policy monitoring and advocacy submissions
- Media relations, launch communications and reputation
- Distributor search, tender readiness and association membership
Best for: Companies that need standing in Kenya beyond a registration.
Explore Market Access08
Compliance and Continuity
Lawful every month, for as long as you are here.
One compliance calendar, owned by us: tax filings with partner accountants, company secretarial work, renewals, regulatory alerts and orderly exits.
- A compliance calendar we own: tax returns, annual returns, audits
- Company secretarial service and board support
- Renewals of permits, licences and tax compliance certificates
- Regulatory alerts, restructuring and orderly exit
Best for: Companies already operating in Kenya, and every client after entry.
Explore Compliance and Continuity09
Business Plans and Financial Models
A plan investors can test, and numbers that hold when they do.
Complete business plans with integrated financial models: market and economic analysis, three-statement projections, funding requirement, returns, valuation and the investor materials to present them.
- Business plan written to investor and lender standard
- Integrated three-statement financial model in Excel
- Scenarios, sensitivities and break-even analysis
- Funding requirement, returns, valuation and pitch deck
Best for: Founders, boards and foreign investors raising capital or committing to a Kenyan venture, and Kenyan companies preparing for banks, investors or grant funders.
Explore Business Plans and Financial ModelsThe route
From first study to licensed trading in about 20 weeks.
Four stages, each closed by a gate. The windows overlap by design, so nothing waits on paperwork that can run in parallel.
Weeks 1 to 6
Before entry
Market study, regulatory scan, entry mode and due diligence.
Closes whenThe board takes a go decision and chooses the entry vehicle.
Weeks 4 to 10
Set up
Company or branch registration, KRA registration, bank accounts, trademarks and data protection registration.
Closes whenThe certificate is issued, the company is live on KRA's systems and the bank account is open.
Weeks 8 to 20
Permits and people
Investment certificate, county and sector licences, work permits, payroll registration and premises.
Closes whenThe company is licensed to trade and its staff are on payroll.
From week 21
Operate
Market access, government relations and the compliance calendar take over.
Closes whenContinues for as long as you operate in Kenya.
Timelines are indicative and drawn to scale. Document legalisation abroad, regulator queues and bank onboarding set the real pace, and we plan each engagement around them from the first call.
Twende · While we work
Your files are moving. Go and see Kenya.
Most of an entry runs on paperwork that does not need you in the room. While we file, follow up and chase approvals, we connect you with licensed tour operators we trust and plan your trips around the appointments that need you in person.
- Rhino and giraffe in Nairobi National Park, on the edge of the city
- A weekend of game drives in the Maasai Mara
- Maasai culture, the coast and the Rift Valley lakes
Who we serve
Six kinds of arrival, one standard of care.
Every client arrives with a different brief. Each starts at the gates that matter to them, and adds the rest as the plan firms up.
Tell us yoursForeign investors setting up a Kenyan entity
Founders, CFOs and regional directors who need a legal presence, the right certificates and a plan that holds up to scrutiny.
Employers hiring before they incorporate
HR and people leaders who want Kenyan talent now and a company later, if at all.
Teams relocating to Nairobi
Mobility managers and executives who need permits, passes, housing and schools arranged before the flight lands.
Development partners and foundations
Organisations opening a Kenya office who need the right legal structure, staff and compliance handled with care.
Companies already operating in Kenya
Country managers whose filings, renewals and permits need a firm that owns the calendar.
Firms pursuing public contracts
Bid teams who need tender readiness, local partners and standing with the right agencies.
Ways to engage
Four ways to work with us.
No two entries into Kenya are the same, so every engagement is scoped and quoted after a discovery call.
Launch
A legal presence, the right certificates and the licences to trade, delivered fast.
0102030405060708
Gates 02, 03, 04Land and Expand
The full first year: study, entity, incentives, licences, permits and people, with arrival services for your team.
0102030405060708
Gates 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06Hire Without an Entity
Kenyan employees on a compliant payroll, with permits for anyone you send in.
0102030405060708
Gates 05, 06Stay Compliant
We take over the compliance calendar, secretarial work and renewals.
0102030405060708
Gate 08A registration certificate lets you trade. Standing in Kenya lets you grow.
One partner, first call to handover
A named partner owns your entry from start to finish. You never repeat your story to a new desk.
The whole route, one engagement
Registration, permits, people, premises and compliance run as one plan, so no step waits on a provider you did not know you needed.
Depth in Kenyan public life
Our partners come from Kenyan journalism, policy research and government advisory work. We know how regulators think and how policy moves.
Built for after the launch
A missed filing or a lapsed permit can undo a good entry. Our compliance service keeps you in good standing long after the ribbon is cut.
The Entry Brief
Guides to the rules, checked and dated.
Plain-English guides to entering and operating in Kenya, written by our team and updated as the law changes. All guides
Questions
Questions we hear first.
If your question is not here, a partner will answer it on a discovery call.
Ask us directlyCan a foreign company own 100% of a Kenyan company?
In most sectors, yes. A few regulated activities still set local ownership conditions, and non-citizens can hold land only on leasehold of up to 99 years. We check your activity against every rule that applies before you register.
Should we set up a subsidiary or register a branch?
A subsidiary is a separate Kenyan company that limits the parent's liability; a branch is the parent itself registered to trade in Kenya. Both pay corporate income tax at 30% on Kenyan profits, and a branch also pays a 15% tax on profits treated as repatriated. Liability, licensing, banking and how long you plan to stay decide the answer, and we set out the trade-offs before you choose.
How long does it take to enter Kenya?
A typical entrant with expatriate staff and one sector licence moves from first study to licensed trading in about 20 weeks. Incorporation alone is much faster. Document legalisation abroad, regulator queues and bank onboarding usually set the pace.
Can we hire in Kenya before we incorporate?
Yes, through our employer of record service. Your team is employed lawfully on a Kenyan payroll with every statutory deduction remitted, while you decide whether and when to form an entity.
Why is there no pricing on the website?
Every entry is different. Your activity, your team, your licences and your timetable set the scope, so we quote after a discovery call, with government fees shown separately.
Do you work outside Nairobi?
Yes. We support companies across Kenya's counties, including Mombasa and the Special Economic Zones, and we help clients plan regional expansion from a Kenyan base.