Can we use US dollars in Kenya? by: Tropic Tours & Travel
Dear Visitor,
The Dollar is very well accepted in the tourism sector i.e visa payments, paying hotel bills, buying curious, tipping & safari payments. However you need to have Kenya Shillings with you as well to use outside the tourism sector. You can withdraw from an ATM or exchange the Dollars to Kenya Shillings from a Forex Bureau.
Thanks and happy travelling.
Rgds
Peter.
Jul 04, 2010
Dollars v Shillings by: Archie [Moderator]
Thankyou for your question and Arjen has covered the answer.
ATM's are everywhere and you can use them safely
Just remember to have dollars available on your arrival to pay for the entry visas unless you have already done that prior to leaving USA.
Happy Travels
Archie
Jul 03, 2010
You sometimes can, but... by: Arjen (webmaster)
In the tourism sector (e.g. safari tour operators or the expensive hotels), prices are sometimes quoted in US dollars and you can pay them in US dollars. But even there, you can usually also pay in Kenyan Shillings (KSH).
Outside the tourism sector, the Kenyan Shilling is the rule so you need to have those. While shop owners may also take US dollars if you don't have KSH, prices in US dollars tend to be higher than prices quoted in KSH, so I would always try to pay with Shillings.
The easiest and cheapest way to get KSH is by withdrawing money from an ATM once you are in Kenya. In the cities and many towns, there are ATMs everywhere and you can withdraw directly from your foreign bank account, against a small charge.
