How to register a .co.ke domain for your business

Your domain name is your address on the internet — yourbusiness.co.ke — and it is also the second half of your business email. A .co.ke address tells customers straight away that you are a Kenyan business. Registering one is quick and affordable, but a few decisions at the start make the difference between a domain you fully own and one you have to fight to get back.

What is a .co.ke domain?

.co.ke is Kenya's domain extension for companies and businesses. All .ke domains are managed by the Kenya Network Information Centre (KeNIC). KeNIC does not sell domains to the public directly; it accredits registrars — domain and hosting companies — who register them on your behalf. You can find the official list of accredited registrars on kenic.or.ke.

Which .ke extension should you choose?

Kenya has several second-level extensions. Pick the one that matches what you are; some of them require documents.

Many businesses register both the .co.ke and the .com of their name and point one at the other, so customers find you whichever one they type.

How to choose a good domain name

• Short and easy to spell — something you can say over the phone without spelling it out.
• Matches your business name — or the name customers actually use for you.
• No hyphens or numbers unless they are part of your brand; they are easy to forget.
• Check social media handles — it helps if the same name is free on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
• Not someone else's brand — a domain that copies a well-known name can be taken from you through a dispute.

Step by step: registering your .co.ke domain

1. Check availability. Search the name on any accredited registrar's website. If it is taken, try a variation or another extension.
2. Choose a registrar. Compare the first-year price and, more importantly, the renewal price, support quality and whether DNS management is included.
3. Register in your business's name. Use your company or business name as the registrant and an email address you control — not your web designer's.
4. Pay for at least one year. Registering for two or more years saves renewal hassle.
5. Point it to your hosting. Set the nameservers or DNS records your host gives you. Changes can take up to a day to work everywhere.
6. Set up email. Add the email (MX) records so [email protected] works.
7. Turn on auto-renew and the transfer lock. This protects you from accidental expiry and unauthorised transfers.

How much does a .co.ke domain cost?

Prices are set by each registrar. A .co.ke is commonly around KES 1,000 – 2,500 a year. Watch for very low first-year offers with a much higher renewal price. Restricted extensions such as .sc.ke and .ac.ke cost about the same but take longer because the documents are checked.

Domain ownership traps to avoid

• Letting it expire. Your site and email stop working. After the grace period the domain can be deleted and registered by someone else — sometimes a reseller who will ask you to buy it back.
• Using an email on the same domain for renewal notices. If the domain expires, that email stops too, and you never see the reminders. Keep a second address, such as your personal Gmail, on the account.
• No transfer code. To move to another registrar you need the domain's authorisation (EPP) code. Your registrar must give it to you on request.

Domain, hosting and SSL: what is the difference?

• Domain — the name (yourbusiness.co.ke). Renewed yearly with a registrar.
• Hosting — the server space where your website's files and email live. Paid to a hosting company.
• SSL certificate — encrypts the connection and shows the padlock (HTTPS). Many hosts include one free.

You can buy all three from one company or from different ones. What matters is that every account is in your name and you know the logins. For yearly cost estimates, see how much a website costs in Kenya.

How Elvinsoft can help

We register .co.ke, .or.ke, .sc.ke and .com domains in your name, set up hosting, SSL and business email, and hand you every login. Already have a domain? We can point it to a new website or help you move it. See Web Hosting & Domains.