How to Register a .co.ke Domain Name: A Step-by-Step Guide

The short answer: how to register a .co.ke domain

A .co.ke domain needs no documents and can be registered in one sitting. The process is the same with every registrar:

1. Check that the name is free, using the search box on kenic.or.ke or on a registrar's website.
2. Pick a registrar from KeNIC's list of licensed registrars.
3. Create an account with the registrar using your own name, phone number and an email address you will still use in five years.
4. Add the domain to your cart, pay (many Kenyan registrars accept M-Pesa), and turn on auto-renew.
5. Point the domain at your website and email by setting its DNS records.

At the time of writing (September 2026), a .co.ke domain costs roughly KES 350 to KES 1,350 for the first year and KES 1,300 to KES 2,350 a year to renew, depending on the registrar. The rest of this guide explains each step and the mistakes that cost Kenyan businesses their domains.

What is KeNIC?

The Kenya Network Information Centre (KeNIC) is the registry for .ke, Kenya's country domain. It keeps the master database of every .ke name, sets the policies, and licenses the companies that sell domains to the public. KeNIC does not sell domains to individuals or businesses directly. You buy from a licensed registrar, and the registrar records your domain with KeNIC.

Your registrar handles renewals, changes and support, so choose it with care. KeNIC's rules on eligibility, expiry and transfers apply whichever registrar you use.

Which .ke extension should you choose?

KeNIC offers a plain second-level .ke (for example yourname.ke) and nine third-level extensions. Most are open to anyone. Three need documents because they signal that you are a specific kind of institution.

For a typical Kenyan business, .co.ke is the right choice. It is the extension Kenyans recognise, and it tells visitors and Google that you serve the Kenyan market. If you also sell abroad, consider registering the matching .com as well and pointing both to the same site.

Documents for the restricted extensions

KeNIC's third-level domain policy sets out what it checks before approving a restricted name:

• .sc.ke: a copy of the Certificate of Registration from the Ministry of Education. It must bear the school's name and classify it as a kindergarten, primary or secondary school.
• .ac.ke: a copy of the Certificate of Registration from the relevant ministry, the college charter, or the Act of Parliament that established the institution. It must bear the institution's name and classify it as a polytechnic, technical institute, college or university.
• .go.ke: supporting documents from the ICT Authority. KeNIC's policy states that .go.ke registrations are done only through the ICT Authority, so a government body should start there rather than with a commercial registrar.

Your registrar will ask you to upload these documents and will forward them to KeNIC. Expect the domain to go live only after the documents are approved, so allow extra time before a launch date. A school that is still waiting for its registration certificate can start on a .co.ke and add the .sc.ke later. If you run a school, our page on school website design in Kenya covers what else parents look for online.

How to choose a good domain name

KeNIC's rules are simple: letters a to z, numbers 0 to 9 and hyphens, no hyphen at the start or end, at least two characters for a third-level name like .co.ke, and no more than 63 characters. Names are allocated first come, first served, so a name is not reserved for you just because it matches your business registration.

Within those rules, a good name is one a customer can hear once and type correctly:

• Short and easy to say. If you have to spell it out twice over the phone, it is too long.
• Close to your trading name. Use the name on your signboard and your M-Pesa till, not an abbreviation only you use.
• Add your town if the short name is taken. A name like yourbrandnakuru.co.ke is easy to remember and helps local customers.
• Check trademarks and social handles. KeNIC's policy makes the registrant responsible for any rights the name infringes, so avoid another company's brand.

How to check if a .co.ke domain is available

Type the name into the search box on kenic.or.ke or on any licensed registrar's site. If it is taken, a WHOIS lookup (also offered by most registrars) shows which registrar holds it and its expiry date. The owner's personal details are usually hidden. A taken name that is close to expiry may come free, but do not build plans around that, because owners often renew.

Choosing a registrar

Only buy from a registrar on KeNIC's licensed registrars page. At the time of writing it lists fifteen, including Safaricom, Truehost, HostAfrica, HostPinnacle, Kenya Website Experts, Afriregister and Webhost Kenya. Many designers and hosts resell domains through these registrars, which is fine if you control the account.

When comparing registrars, look at:

• The renewal price, not the first-year price. Some registrars sell the first year cheaply and charge several times that to renew.
• Payment options. M-Pesa makes renewals quicker for most Kenyan businesses.
• DNS management. You should be able to edit your own DNS records from the dashboard.
• Support you can reach by phone or WhatsApp.
• How easily you can leave. The registrar should give you the transfer code without argument. KeNIC's rules say registrants may move their .ke domain to the registrar of their choice.

How much does a .ke domain cost in 2026?

KeNIC sets the wholesale price and each registrar sets its own retail price, so costs vary. KeNIC raised third-level domain prices from 1 February 2025 and introduced a fee for transfers, which is why older price guides are too low. These are the ranges we found on licensed registrars' and resellers' websites at the time of writing (September 2026). Always confirm on the registrar's site before you pay.

The domain is only one part of what a website costs each year. Our guide to website costs in Kenya covers hosting, maintenance and build prices. If we host your site, our hosting and domain plan is KES 500 a month or KES 5,000 a year and includes the domain renewal and SSL; details are on our pricing page.

Put the domain in your name, not your designer's

This is the most common domain problem we see with Kenyan small businesses. A web designer or a relative registers the domain on their own account, using their own email address, as a favour. Years later they change numbers, move abroad or fall out with the business. The renewal reminders go to an inbox nobody reads, the domain expires, the website and email go down, and the business has no login to fix it.

Avoid it from day one:

• The registrant is you. Register the domain in the business's legal name, or your own name for a sole proprietorship, exactly as it appears on your documents.
• Use an email address you control for the registrar account and the domain contacts. A general Gmail address the owner keeps is better than a staff member's work email, and far better than the designer's.
• Keep the registrar login yourself. Your designer can be added as a technical contact, or you can share access when they need to change DNS. They do not need to own the account.
• Keep a record. Write down the registrar, the account email, the expiry date and where the password is stored, and give a copy to a second trusted person in the business.

If you are not sure who holds your current domain, run a WHOIS lookup to find the registrar, then contact that registrar with your business documents and ask whose account the domain sits on.

Renewals, expiry and grace periods

Third-level .ke domains, including .co.ke, are registered for a year at a time. KeNIC's third-level domain policy sets out what happens if you miss the renewal:

• Within 14 days of expiry: pay the renewal and the domain is not suspended.
• After 14 days: an unpaid domain is suspended. Your website and email stop working, but the domain can still be renewed.
• At 90 days after expiry: the domain is deleted and anyone can register it.

Plain .ke domains fall under KeNIC's separate second-level policy, which also suspends unpaid domains 14 days after expiry but holds them for longer before release. Ask your registrar what it charges to restore a suspended domain.

Transferring a .co.ke domain to another registrar

If your registrar is expensive or unhelpful, you can move the domain. The usual steps are:

1. Make sure the domain is not expired or close to expiry, and that the contact email on it is one you can access.
2. Ask your current registrar for the domain's transfer code (also called an EPP or authorisation code). Many registrars show it in the dashboard.
3. Start the transfer with the new registrar, enter the code and pay the transfer fee. Since 2025 transfers carry a fee; ask whether it includes a year's renewal, as registrars differ.

Moving a domain away from a designer's account to your own works the same way, provided they give you the code. Ask for it in writing and keep the reply.

DNS basics: connecting your domain to a website and email

Owning a domain does nothing on its own. DNS records tell the internet where your website and email live. You set them in your registrar's dashboard, or at a DNS provider such as your web host.

• Nameservers decide who manages your DNS. Leave them at the registrar, or change them to your host's nameservers if your host asks you to.
• A record points the domain to your web server's IP address. CNAME points a name such as www or shop to another address.
• MX records send your email to your mail provider, for example Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 or the mailboxes on your cPanel hosting.
• TXT records prove you own the domain to services like Google Search Console, and carry SPF, DKIM and DMARC settings that stop your emails landing in spam.

Your web host and email provider will give you the exact records to add. Changes usually take effect within a few hours. After your site is live, run our free website audit to check that the domain, SSL certificate and contact details are set up correctly.

If you would rather hand the job over, we register domains in the client's own name, connect the website and email, and hand over the logins. See website design in Nairobi or ask for a free quote.