Compare today's GBP to KES (British Pound to Kenyan Shilling) exchange rates
📈 UK to Kenya Money Transfer Snapshot Today
- Best GBP to KES exchange rate today: KES 176.7007, offered by Sendwave
- Number of money transfer providers compared: 20
- Exchange rate range: KES 167.9102 to KES 176.7007
- Potential savings on GBP 1000: KES 8,790.50
- Number of deals and promo codes: 12
- Mid-market
ⓘThe mid-market exchange rate (also called the interbank rate) is the real GBP to KES exchange rate before providers add their margin or fees. exchange rate: 1 GBP = KES 173.8683 (Updated about an hour ago)
See detailed UK to Kenya money transfer comparison below.
Money Transfer Providers that matched the search criteria
📢 B2B transfers only
📢 Get promotional rate on your first transfer
📢 Special exchange rate applied for first transfer
📢 Special exchange rate applied for first transfer
📢 Special exchange rate applied for first transfer
📢 B2B transfers only
If you are making international business money transfers or payments, RemitFinder can assist by matching you with the best options to suit your unique business needs. Get in touch now to see how we can help protect your business revenue by getting you higher exchange rates and lower transfer fees on international business FX.
💡What today's GBP-KES exchange rates mean for you
Compare today's GBP-KES exchange rates and send money from UK to Kenya after comparing numerous money transfer providers. Check the latest exchange rates, read detailed provider reviews, and discover deals and promo codes — all in one place.
RemitFinder compared 20 providers that you can rely on for UK to Kenya money transfers today. Here is a summary of how the competition looks like right now:
Today's Most Competitive UK to Kenya Providers
🥇 Sendwave with 1 GBP = 176.7007 KES (best GBP to KES exchange rate today).
🥈 Regency FX offering 1 GBP = 173.8526 KES.
🥉 Key Currency & Verto are also providing good FX rate today.
The exchange rate provided by these 20 providers ranges from KES 167.9102 to KES 176.7007. For a GBP 1000 money transfer from UK to Kenya, that could mean up to KES 8,790.50 saved on FX alone.
GBP-KES exchange rates fluctuate throughout the day, and top positions can change quickly. This volatility can significantly impact the final KES payout that your recipient gets in Kenya.
That's why we recommend comparing money transfer providers to ensure you can maximize the value of your UK to Kenya remittances.
🔄 Looking for the reverse corridor? Send money from Kenya to UK instead.
Looking for a different option? You can browse all sending countries on our send money from hub, or view all destinations available when sending money from UK.
👇 We also suggest looking beyond today's GBP-KES exchange rate — historical pricing trends show many factors that can affect the overall transfer cost of your transfer.
Whilst GBP-KES exchange rate is crucial, historical data shows that transfer fees, GBP amount sent and payment and delivery methods can also significantly influence your final payout.
Below, we analyze UK to Kenya historical remittance data to help you understand where costs may arise and share some best practices to try to maximize your KES payout.
Data-driven cost insights for UK to Kenya money transfers
When you send money internationally from UK to Kenya, the key factors that will influence the overall cost of your transaction are:
- GBP-KES exchange rate
- Transfer fee
- Payment method
- Delivery method
Ideally, you would want to optimize these 4 factors to try to get the maximum KES payout for your overseas recipient in Kenya.
Another counter-balancing aspect is money transfer speed. If you need to rush money from UK to Kenya, you may have to compromise on some of the above factors whilst optimizing for speed.
To put this into a better perspective using a data-driven approach, we analyzed historical remittance pricing1 for UK to Kenya money transfers to compare transfer costs, FX margins, fees, and payment and delivery methods across providers.
This analysis is based on 644 actual UK to Kenya money transfers handled by 16 providers over the last 5 years (for a GBP 120 remittance benchmark).
This data-driven approach using real GBP-KES transfer data provides useful insights into identifying the lowest-cost payment and delivery combinations, thereby helping you reduce costs and maximize the amount received.
Before we deep dive, here are the key trends from our analysis, summarized in an easy to read format.
📌 Key insights for UK to Kenya money transfers
- Average total cost: 4.99% (range -3.47% to 16.44%, spread 19.91 percentage points)
- Potential payout difference: On a GBP 120 transfer, the above variation can save you up to GBP 23.89.
- Average FX markup: 2.89% (range -5.05%
ⓘA negative markup generally represents a promotional exchange rate whereby a provider offers an exchange rate that is even higher than the mid-market rate, often on smaller amounts. to 12.86%, spread 17.91 percentage points) - Average transfer fee: GBP 2.52 (range GBP 0.00 to GBP 9.90)
- Cheapest payment/delivery method combo: Bank Account Transfer → Mobile Wallet (2.60% avg cost); most expensive is Cash → Cash Pickup (9.04%)
- Payment/delivery method choice impact: Cheapest vs most expensive combo saves 6.44% (GBP 7.73 on GBP 120 transfer).
- Market coverage: ~16 providers on average (competition level: competitive)
- Average speed: About 12 hours
🛠️ Key takeaway: Compare providers using both exchange rate and fees, then optimize your payment and delivery methods to reduce total cost.
Below, we provide detailed data-driven insights on various factors that influence the total cost of your UK to Kenya money transfers.
📈 GBP to KES exchange rate is often the biggest driver of both cost and payout
The exchange rate on your UK to Kenya money transfers is usually the single biggest factor that will determine your overall GBP cost and your recipient's KES payout.
To analyze exchange rates, we will rely on the exchange rate markup (also called FX margin) which is the difference between the mid-market exchange rate
Based on historical pricing data for a GBP 120 money transfer benchmark, we see the following FX markup ranges for British Pound to Kenya transfers:
- Average markup: 2.89%
- Median markup: 2.62%
- Lowest markup: -5.05%
ⓘA negative markup generally represents a promotional exchange rate whereby a provider offers an exchange rate that is even higher than the mid-market rate, often on smaller amounts. - Highest markup: 12.86%
That is a spread of 17.91 percentage points between the lowest and highest observed FX markups.
To put this into perspective, on a GBP 120 transfer, the above markup range is equivalent to roughly KES 21.49 purely from differences in the exchange rate. That incremental saving increases to KES 53.73 for a GBP 300 transfer.
🛠️ How to use this insight: When comparing providers for UK to Kenya remittances, pay close attention to the exchange rate you receive. A small difference in the FX markup can quickly outweigh other factors like fees, and the gap generally grows as transfer amounts increase.
GBP to KES exchange rate can be the single most critical factor that determines the cost of your transfer. When comparing providers, keep an eye on the rate you will get.
💰 Transfer fees affect your total UK to Kenya remittance cost
Whilst exchange rate is a major factor affecting total transfer cost, the transfer fee can also have a big impact on how much of your British Pound reaches your recipient in Kenya.
Based on data from last 5 years, we notice the below about British Pound to Kenya money transfer fees:
- Average fee: GBP 2.52
- Median fee: GBP 1.99
- Lowest fee: GBP 0.00
- Highest fee: GBP 9.90
The average fee amount of GBP 2.52 noted above represents 2.10% of the total amount sent.
Also note that even if two providers provide the same exchange rate, a best vs worst case transfer fee can increase the payout by GBP 9.90.
🛠️ How to use this insight: For your next money transfer from UK to Kenyan Shilling, look for providers that provide lower (or even 0) fees.
One caveat to this, though, is something called the hidden fee. Some providers may hide their real fees by offering a 0 or low fee, but providing a lower exchange rate. The money lost due to an inferior FX rate affects your bottom line and is referred to as a hidden fee. Therefore, you should also keep an eye on rates whilst paying attention to fees.
Another point that you should keep in mind is that for larger transfers, fixed fees become a lesser percentage of total amount. But for smaller transfers, fees can be a major part of total cost.
💸 Payment and delivery methods matter for GBP-KES remittances
Based on our detailed analysis of historical UK to Kenya data, we see consistent variation in overall cost amongst the payment method and delivery method you choose.
Here is the average cost for popular payment methods used to send money to Kenya from UK:
- Bank Account Transfer: 3.88%
- Debit Card: 4.95%
- Credit Card: 5.08%
- Cash: 7.51%
That is a total spread of 3.63 percentage points.
This means that on a GBP 120 transfer, you could save up to GBP 4.36 simply by choosing the best priced payment method.
These savings will only multiply for higher GBP amounts.
Here is the average cost of popular delivery methods used to send money from UK to Kenya:
- Mobile Wallet: 3.13%
- Bank Deposit: 3.24%
- Cash Pickup: 7.14%
The cost difference between the above delivery methods is 4.02 percentage points.
Once again, this means that you could save up to GBP 4.82 on a GBP 120 transfer to Kenya by choosing Mobile Wallet versus Cash Pickup.
As you can imagine, the possible combinations of UK payment methods and Kenya delivery methods will all have disparate cost. Let us look at that next.
Here is a summary of the average cost of payment and delivery method combinations for UK to KES money transfers.
| Payment Method | Delivery Method | Average Cost (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Bank Account Transfer | Mobile Wallet | 2.60 |
| Bank Account Transfer | Bank Deposit | 3.00 |
| Credit Card | Mobile Wallet | 3.12 |
| Debit Card | Mobile Wallet | 3.27 |
| Credit Card | Bank Deposit | 3.41 |
| Debit Card | Bank Deposit | 3.45 |
| Cash | Bank Deposit | 3.88 |
| Cash | Mobile Wallet | 5.36 |
| Bank Account Transfer | Cash Pickup | 5.66 |
| Debit Card | Cash Pickup | 6.97 |
| Credit Card | Cash Pickup | 7.17 |
| Cash | Cash Pickup | 9.04 |
Sorted by Average Cost % (cheapest to most expensive).
As you can see, the difference between these GBP-KES payment and delivery options is significant. Here are some observations:
- Bank Account Transfer → Mobile Wallet has the lowest average cost at 2.60%.
- Cash → Cash Pickup has the highest average cost at 9.04%.
- Bank Account Transfer → Mobile Wallet average cost is 6.44 percentage points lower than that of Cash → Cash Pickup.
- This means that on a GBP 120 money transfer, you could save up to GBP 10.85 simply by choosing the best payment and delivery method combo.
- Further, on a GBP 300 money transfer, the savings increase to GBP 27.13.
Here is a quick summary of the average historical cost of various payment and delivery methods for GBP to Kenya money transfers.
💸 Cheapest payment and delivery methods (data-backed)
- Cheapest payment method: Bank Account Transfer averaged 3.88%, compared to 7.51% for Cash, a difference of 3.63 percentage points.
- Cheapest delivery method: Mobile Wallet averaged 3.13%, compared to 7.14% for Cash Pickup (4.02 percentage points higher).
- Cheapest combo: Bank Account Transfer → Mobile Wallet averaged 2.60%, which is 6.44 percentage points lower than Cash → Cash Pickup (9.04%).
🛠️ How to use this insight: As you compare money transfer providers for your next UK to Kenya international money transfer, strive to pair the lowest-cost payment method with the lowest-cost delivery method.
This can help you avoid the pitfall of "great exchange rate, expensive methods".
You can save money on your UK to Kenya remittances by carefully choosing the most economical payment and delivery methods.
📊 Does sending more money reduce the cost of GBP-KES money transfers?
To see if transfer cost varies based on the amount sent, we compared the average cost of sending GBP 120 vs GBP 300 from UK to Kenya.
We found that sending a higher amount (GBP 300) tends to be cheaper - average cost drops from 4.99% to 4.00%, a reduction of 0.99 percentage points.
The cost of your transfer usually continues to drop as transfer amount increases. That said, always check the latest exchange rates and fees for your intended transfer amount.
🛠️ How to use this insight: Since it is generally cheaper to send higher British Pound amounts to Kenya, consider consolidating smaller, more frequent transfers into fewer, larger ones. Doing so may reduce the total cost you pay.
🏛 How competitive is the UK to Kenya remittance market?
Based on data from the last 5 years, GBP-KES money transfers are provided on an average by 16 remittance companies. With around 16 providers serving this market, we consider the level of competition to be competitive.
The good news is that you can currently compare 20 providers on RemitFinder for GBP-KES transfers. This is a higher number of money transfer companies to choose from as compared to prior years.
A remittance market with more active providers is typically more competitive. This means you can get a better pricing and more payment and delivery options for your UK to Kenya remittances.
⏱️ How fast are GBP-KES money transfers?
If your recipient in Kenya needs funds urgently, you may need to optimize your transfer for speed.
Here is what we see for UK to Kenya transfers when it comes to processing time:
- Average transfer time: About 12 hours.
- Fastest transfer time: About less than 1 hour.
- Slowest transfer time: About 144 hours (~6.0 days).
- Average speed at GBP 120: About 12 hours.
- Average speed at GBP 300: About 12 hours.
🛠️ How to use this insight: If you need to send money from UK to Kenya in a hurry, compare providers not just on exchange rate, but also on expected speed. Speed also varies based on the delivery method (bank vs cash vs wallet) you choose for Kenya.
UK to Kenya transfer speed varies across providers, so compare transfer speed along with cost for time-sensitive money transfers. In addition, pick the fastest payment and delivery methods for faster processing.
Frequently Asked Questions about UK to Kenya money transfers
These FAQs use data from RemitFinder's historical analysis of UK to Kenya money transfers over several years.
What factors affect the total cost of sending money from UK to Kenya?
The total cost of your GBP-KES money transfer depends on how you fund the transaction (payment method), how the recipient receives it (delivery method), the exchange rate you get, and any transfer fee charged by the provider.
To avoid overpaying for your transfer, compare money transfer providers.
How much does the exchange rate affect UK to Kenya transfers?
Historical GBP to KES exchange rate markup ranges from -5.05% to 12.86%, a spread of 17.91 percentage points. Even small differences in the exchange rate markup can impact your final payout significantly.
Can GBP-KES exchange rate markup be negative?
Sometimes, money transfer providers may offer promotional exchange rates that are better than the mid-market exchange rate, resulting in a negative GBP-KES exchange rate markup.
Such offers are generally limited by transfer amount, eligibility, or duration. Compare providers to see if you can take advantage of any ongoing special offers.
Is the exchange rate or the transfer fee more important for UK to Kenya transfers?
Exchange rate markup ranges from -5.05% to 12.86% (a spread of 17.91 percentage points).
Transfer fees range from GBP 0.00 to GBP 9.90, which equals roughly 8.25% on a GBP 120.00 transfer.
At both GBP 120.00 and GBP 300.00, the exchange rate markup shows larger variation than the other component.
Regardless, our recommendation is that it is important to compare both exchange rates and fees when choosing a provider for UK to Kenya transfers.
As the transfer amount increases, the % impact of fees decreases (because the fee gets spread across a larger GBP amount), whilst exchange rate markup remains a percentage-based cost that can scale with transfer size.
For smaller transfers, fees can matter more, whilst for larger transfers, exchange rate often becomes the bigger driver. Either way, comparing both helps you get the most KES for your GBP.
How much can UK to Kenya transfer costs vary between providers?
Historical transfer cost ranges from -3.47% to 16.44% for GBP transfers to Kenya. That is a spread of 19.91 percentage points, meaning significant differences between various money transfer providers.
A major contributor to this variation is exchange rate markup. FX markup alone ranges from -5.05% to 12.86% (a spread of 17.91 percentage points). Thus, even small differences in FX margin can have a big impact on the final KES payout.
Why do various money transfer providers price GBP to Kenya transfers differently?
If you send the same British Pound amount to Kenya via different providers, the cost of each transfer will be different because of variations in FX markup, fees, and payment and delivery methods.
Even small differences among all the above factors can change the final KES payout in Kenya in a big way.
How stable are transfer costs in the UK to Kenya corridor?
When we analyzed the historical total cost for GBP-KES transfers, we observed a range from -3.47% to 16.44% (19.91 percentage points difference), along with a variability (standard deviation) of 3.38%.
A major driver of cost in this market is exchange rate markup. FX markup ranges from -5.05% to 12.86% (17.91 percentage points difference), with a standard deviation of 2.50%. Fees and payment/delivery method choices can contribute to further volatility.
This is exactly why we recommend comparing money transfer providers to get the most of your GBP-KES transfers.
Which payment method is cheapest for UK to Kenya remittances?
Bank Account Transfer is the cheapest payment method in UK based on its average cost at 3.88% (compared to Cash at 7.51%, a difference of 3.63 percentage points).
Based on this, we recommend paying for your GBP transfer with Bank Account Transfer, and avoiding Cash if possible.
Is Debit Card cheaper than Credit Card for UK to Kenya transfers?
Debit Card is cheaper on average when sending money to Kenya from UK since it costs 4.95% (compared to 5.08% for Credit Card payments, a difference of 0.13 percentage points).
As a result, we recommend that you avoid paying for your transfer to Kenya with a Credit Card.
Which delivery method is cheapest for GBP-KES money transfers?
Mobile Wallet is the cheapest delivery method in Kenya as it costs 3.13% (compared to Cash Pickup at 7.14%, a spread of 4.02 percentage points).
If your recipient in Kenya can accept Mobile Wallet, we recommend choosing it as your preferred delivery option for GBP-KES transfers.
Is Bank Deposit cheaper than Cash Pickup for UK to Kenya transfers?
Bank Deposit is cheaper for transfers to Kenya given its 3.24% average cost (versus 7.14% for Cash Pickup, a difference of 3.90 percentage points).
To save more, consider choosing the cheapest delivery option for Kenya.
What is the cheapest way to send money from UK to Kenya?
We evaluated 12 payment and delivery method combinations for UK to Kenya remittances.
Based on historical data, Bank Account Transfer → Mobile Wallet is the cheapest combination with 2.60% cost.
At the other end of the spectrum, Cash → Cash Pickup is the most expensive combination at 9.04% cost. That is a difference of 6.44 percentage points between the cheapest and most expensive combinations.
Money transfer providers tend to price payment and delivery methods for UK to Kenya remittances differently. As you compare options, look for the cheapest payment-delivery method combo to maximize the value of your GBP-KES transfers.
Does sending more money reduce the cost for UK to Kenya transfers?
Larger GBP-KES transfers are cheaper on average.
The cost of a GBP 120 transfer averages 4.99% as compared to 4.00% for a GBP 300 transfer, a difference of 0.99 percentage points.
How long does it take to send money from UK to Kenya?
Based on our analysis, the average transfer time for GBP-KES transfers is 12 hours, with the fastest transfers completing in less than one hour and the slowest in 144 hours (~6.0 days).
Are instant transfers available from UK to Kenya?
Yes, historical data shows that some transfers to Kenya from UK can complete in less than one hour.
Note that the actual speed of your GBP-KES transfer will depend on the chosen provider, payment method, delivery method, and eligibility checks.
How competitive is the UK to Kenya remittance market?
Based on historical data, the competition level in UK to Kenya is considered competitive with 16 active providers.
Do I risk overpaying if I do not compare providers for UK to Kenya?
Historically, total GBP-KES transfer cost has varied by 19.91 percentage points. On a GBP 120 transfer, that can translate to GBP 23.89 in savings.
GBP-KES exchange rate markup also varies across providers. The average markup spread has been about 17.91 percentage points. On a GBP 120 transfer, that could be GBP 21.49 saved from FX alone.
Fees can also make a big difference in this market, with a difference of about GBP 9.90 across providers.
That is why comparing providers can materially change how much of the GBP you send does your recipient receive in Kenya in Kenya.
Latest GBP to KES Conversion Rates
Here are some latest GBP to KES (British Pound to Kenyan Shilling) exchange rates for popular conversion amounts*.
| 1 GBP | 173.87 KES |
| 5 GBP | 869.34 KES |
| 10 GBP | 1,738.68 KES |
| 25 GBP | 4,346.71 KES |
| 50 GBP | 8,693.42 KES |
| 100 GBP | 17,386.83 KES |
| 150 GBP | 26,080.25 KES |
| 200 GBP | 34,773.66 KES |
| 250 GBP | 43,467.08 KES |
| 300 GBP | 52,160.49 KES |
| 400 GBP | 69,547.32 KES |
| 500 GBP | 86,934.15 KES |
| 600 GBP | 104,320.98 KES |
| 700 GBP | 121,707.81 KES |
| 800 GBP | 139,094.64 KES |
| 1000 GBP | 173,868.30 KES |
| 1500 GBP | 260,802.45 KES |
| 2000 GBP | 347,736.60 KES |
| 2500 GBP | 434,670.75 KES |
| 3000 GBP | 521,604.90 KES |
| 4000 GBP | 695,473.20 KES |
| 5000 GBP | 869,341.50 KES |
| 10000 GBP | 1,738,683.00 KES |
| 15000 GBP | 2,608,024.50 KES |
| 20000 GBP | 3,477,366.00 KES |
| 30000 GBP | 5,216,049.00 KES |
| 40000 GBP | 6,954,732.00 KES |
| 50000 GBP | 8,693,415.00 KES |
| 100000 GBP | 17,386,830.00 KES |
*Based on the Mid-market Exchange Rate
1 Based on 644 pricing observations across 16 firms over the last 5 years for a GBP 120 money transfer from UK to Kenya. Data Source: The World Bank, Remittance Prices Worldwide, available at http://remittanceprices.worldbank.org.
How we analyze remittance data?
Insights are derived from the World Bank's Remittance Prices Worldwide dataset, which collects standardized provider pricing information at defined transfer amounts.
We aggregate this data across multiple providers and multi-year periods to calculate averages, medians, and variability measures in order to identify consistent pricing patterns for the UK to Kenya remittance corridor.
RemitFinder does not modify the underlying World Bank data. The analysis presented here is independently calculated from published datasets and is intended for informational and comparison purposes only.