When we built the Shops in Kenya directory, we mapped every business we could verify across all 47 counties — shops, restaurants, clinics, services, supermarkets. The dataset now covers 29,000+ businesses and it's the largest public map of Kenyan small businesses we've seen. Here's what the data actually shows.
Where Kenya's businesses are
Nairobi dominates — no surprise — but the rest of the map is more interesting. Kiambu and Machakos punch above their weight as Nairobi's commuter counties, and Turkana appearing third is a reminder that towns like Lodwar have real, mapped commercial activity most online platforms ignore.
| County | Businesses mapped |
|---|---|
| Nairobi | 7,910 |
| Kiambu | 1,748 |
| Turkana | 1,733 |
| Machakos | 1,418 |
| Mombasa | 1,030 |
| Kisumu | 1,014 |
| Nakuru | 773 |
| Kakamega | 659 |
| Busia | 649 |
| Baringo | 506 |
| Kajiado | 448 |
| Makueni | 445 |
Note: counts reflect publicly mapped businesses in our directory, not the official census — they show where businesses are visible online, which is exactly the point.
What dominates the map
| Category | Businesses |
|---|---|
| Services (tailors, fundis, agencies) | 15,133 |
| Restaurants & eateries | 3,627 |
| Medical (clinics, pharmacies, labs) | 2,656 |
| Retail shops | 2,401 |
| Supermarkets & minimarts | 1,618 |
| Food vendors | 695 |
| Beauty, salons & barbershops | 321 |
| Home & furniture | 309 |
| Logistics & couriers | 160 |
| Electronics | 115 |
Services dwarf everything — more than half the businesses Kenyans interact with aren't shops at all. They're the fundi, the salon, the clinic, the agency. The 'retail shop' that e-commerce platforms fixate on is a minority of the real economy.
The biggest gap: invisible contact details
The single most striking finding: of 29,000+ mapped businesses, almost none publish a phone number, WhatsApp or email online. These businesses exist, customers walk past them every day — but a customer searching Google for 'salon in Kitengela' or 'chemist in Eldoret' finds nothing to call. The business is invisible to the fastest-growing customer channel in the country.
This is exactly why claiming matters. When a business claims its free listing on Shops in Kenya, its phone, WhatsApp, products and hours go live within minutes — turning an invisible pin on a map into a findable, contactable shop. That gap between 'exists' and 'reachable' is, in data terms, the whole opportunity.
What we learned
- Kenya's service economy is bigger than its retail economy online — platforms built only for 'shops' miss most businesses.
- County coverage is deep, not just Nairobi — 47 counties, 300+ towns, real businesses in Turkana, Baringo, Tana River.
- The bottleneck isn't supply or demand — it's contactability. Mapping exists; being reachable online does not.
- Verified listings with real products, prices and hours are rare enough that doing it puts a business ahead of almost every competitor in its town.
Own a business on the map? Search it on shops.co.ke/businesses, open your listing and claim it free — your details go live today.