Banks In Kenya

The three major banks in Kenya are Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB), Barclays Bank and Standard Chartered. Barclays and Standard Chartered are British banks with a strong presence in many African countries, while KCB is partly owned by the Kenyan government. These banks have offices in many cities and towns throughout Kenya. KCB has 119 bank offices in Kenya, Barclays 43 and Standard Chartered 28.



Furthermore, Western Union can be handy if you have to send money internationally when other means aren’t available. It has offices in 200 countries world-wide. Various banks in Kenya (among them the Postbank) function as the local agents of Western Union.

ATMs Are Everywhere

Most bank offices have ATMs (cash machines), so you’ll find an ATM in most cities and towns in Kenya. But not all ATMs accept all international cards. Visa cards are the most widely supported, with MasterCard, Cirrus and Point cards together occupying the second place. Check your bank card whether it shows any of these logos. In general, Barclays Bank ATMs seem to accept all the mentioned card types most often. Some ATMs also give out US dollars, UK pounds or Euros.

Changing Money - Better Elsewhere

Changing money is possible at all banks in Kenya (as well as some big hotels), but they all charge higher commissions and/or flat fees than so-called foreign exchange bureaus or forex bureaus that you can find everywhere. Since money changers like to keep their exchange rates and tariffs shady, always ask that they fully explain their prices to you. Here's my page about Kenya currency (the Shilling).

Bank-Specific Information

- Kenya Commercial Bank

Website | Branch locator | ATM Locator

Opening hours: 9.00 AM - 15.00 PM Monday-Friday and 9.00 AM to 12.00 AM Saturday.

- Barclays:

Website | Branch Locator | ATM Locator

Opening hours: 8.00 AM – 4.45 PM Monday-Friday.

- Standard Chartered:

Website | Branch and ATM Locator

Opening hours: 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM Monday-Friday; and 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM every first and last Saturday of the month.

- Western Union:

Website | Agent Locator

Opening hours: varies

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