Best payment gateways for e-commerce in Kenya
The honest landscape of how a Kenyan online shop gets paid: what each gateway covers, roughly what it costs, and how much work it takes to wire in. Fees change — verify on each provider's site.
Quick Answer
M-PESA for Kenya + Paystack for cards covers ~all of it. Shops in Kenya builds both into checkout (Starter plan, KSh 299/month) — or integrate a gateway yourself on a custom stack and own the maintenance.
The options, compared
| Gateway | Covers | Typical fees* | Integration effort |
|---|---|---|---|
| M-PESA / Safaricom Daraja | M-PESA STK push, till/PayBill | Business tariff per txn (caps apply) | High alone — app + callback server |
| Paystack | Visa, Mastercard, some local rails | ~3% + fixed fee (local cards) | Medium — clean API, plugins exist |
| Pesapal | M-PESA, cards, bank, Airtel | ~3% + txn fees | Medium — plugins + API |
| IntaSend | M-PESA, cards, bank | ~3% (varies by method) | Medium — API + hosted checkout |
| DPO Pay | Cards, M-PESA, multi-country | ~3%+ (quote-based) | Medium — aimed at larger merchants |
| Shops in Kenya (built-in) | M-PESA STK push + Paystack cards + manual + COD | 0% platform + provider fees | None — toggle on, from KSh 299/mo |
*Approximate figures last checked October 2026 from public pricing pages — gateways revise tariffs often; confirm current rates before committing.
What actually matters when choosing
M-PESA first, always
Most Kenyan online buyers pay by M-PESA. A gateway stack without STK push — or with a clunky "dial this USSD" flow — loses real sales. Whatever you pick, the customer experience should be: enter number, see prompt, enter PIN.
Cards for diaspora and premium buyers
Kenyan cards exist, but the bigger card market is diaspora customers and higher-income buyers. Paystack covers Visa/Mastercard cleanly; it's the complement to M-PESA, not the replacement.
Settlement and reconciliation
Check where money settles (your till vs gateway balance) and how payouts land in your bank. Automatic order-level reconciliation — payment tagged to order — matters more than a 0.1% fee difference.
The hidden cost: maintenance
A self-integrated gateway means callbacks, SSL, retries, reversals and provider API changes — an ongoing job. Built-in payments cost a flat plan fee but delete the maintenance line entirely.
How it works on Shops in Kenya
Free plan: manual payment instructions (your Till, PayBill, send-money or bank details) — you confirm, customer collects or receives their goods. Starter and up: automated M-PESA STK push and Paystack card checkout, on the Shops till or your own connected credentials. Cash on delivery and bank transfer instructions stay available throughout. Every local payment option →
Two gateways, zero integration
M-PESA + card checkout built in — from KSh 299/month, 0% platform commission.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best payment gateway for a Kenyan online shop?
For most Kenyan SMBs, M-PESA (via Daraja) plus Paystack for cards covers nearly every buyer — M-PESA for local mobile money, Paystack for Visa/Mastercard and diaspora customers. Shops in Kenya has both built in, so you get the combined coverage without integrating anything yourself.
How much do payment gateways charge in Kenya?
Ballpark figures (check each provider's current tariff): M-PESA business tariffs run a small percentage per transaction with caps; card gateways like Paystack charge around 2.9–3.8% + a small fixed fee for local cards, more for international cards. Gateways charge per transaction; a marketplace takes commission on your whole sale — they're different costs.
Can I accept M-PESA and cards in one checkout?
Yes — Shops in Kenya checkout offers M-PESA STK push and card (Paystack) side by side, plus manual payment instructions and cash on delivery if you want them. The customer picks; the order records the method either way.
Do I need a registered business for a payment gateway?
For your own gateway merchant account, generally yes — Paystack, Pesapal and Daraja production credentials require business registration and bank/KYC details. To start before you have that, you can run checkout through the platform's integrated till or take manual payment instructions.