Kenya's currency, the
Kenyan shilling (Ksh),
is a colonial legacy
based on the old British
currency. People often
talk in "bob", meaning
shillings, and
occasionally in "pounds",
meaning Ksh20 (you'll
also hear "quids" for
pounds). There are
Ksh1000, 500, 200, 100
and 50 notes, and coins
of Ksh20, 10, 5, 1, 50
cents (half a shilling),
20 cents, 10 cents and 5
cents, though in
practice you will rarely
come across coins of
less than Ksh1. Some
foreign banks stock
shillings should you
wish to buy some before
you leave, but at rates
about ten percent less
than what you might find
in Kenya.
At the time of
writing, the rates of
exchange were
approximately Ksh110: £1
and Ksh78: $1. Street
money changers in
Nairobi and Mombasa may
offer slightly higher
rates, but the black
market is illegal, and
most of them (certainly
in Nairobi) are just
muggers aiming to lure
you into a dark alley
and rob you, so you are
very strongly advised
not to change money on
the street
Costs
Most
prices in
this guide are given in
Kenyan shillings,
however, we've given
prices in US$ for those
establishments,
especially
tourist
services such as
safaris and car rental,
which still quote their
rates in the "hard"
dollar . Almost all
the more expensive
hotels and lodges also
charge non-Kenyans in
dollars, though you are
legally entitled to pay
in Ksh, usually at
inferior rates of
exchange.
Kenya can be
expensive if you
want to rent a car or go
on organized safaris,
especially in high
season. But by staying
in the more economical
hotels, eating in local
places and using public
transport, you can get
by easily enough on
£12/$17 a day. On a
daily average budget of
£25/$35, you would be
living very well most of
the time, even staying
in the occasional more
luxurious tourist hotel.
Staying put you'll
find it much easier to
live cheaply: a week or
so in Lamu on the coast
or Lake Naivasha in the
Rift Valley need not
cost you much more than
£10/$14 a day.
Getting around by bus
and matatu is very cheap
(rarely more than £5/$7
for the longest journey),
but the main
disadvantage is that
they can't drive you
around the game parks.
Renting a vehicle - and
paying for fuel - will
add at least £50/$70 a
day to your costs,
though shared between
two or more this isn't
massively expensive for
a week or so. You can
also find all-inclusive
camping safaris from
around £50/$70 a day,
sometimes even less, but
many of the very cheap
ones are organized by
disreputable companies
and undermine legitimate
operators and the
preservation of wildlife
Money
You can exchange
hard currencies in cash
or travellers' cheques (passport
and sometimes receipt
required) at banks and
foreign exchange bureaux
("forex") all over the
country, and at most
large hotels for a
substantially poorer
rate. US dollars and
British pounds sterling
are always the most
acceptable and will
cause the least delay;
always ask first what
commission and charges
will be deducted, as
they vary mysteriously
even within branches of
the same bank (it
shouldn't be more than
one percent, plus Ksh15
per cheque). Cash
invariably attracts
better rates than
travellers' cheques.
Comparative tables of
bank and forex bureau
rates are published
daily (except Sun) in
the Nation
newspaper.
Banks
Banks in cities are
usually open Monday to
Friday (9am-3pm) and on
the first and last
Saturday of the month
from 9 to 11am. Rural
banks, and those in
small towns, are
generally open Monday to
Friday (8.30am-2.30pm),
and every Saturday
(8.30-10.30am).
Branches of Barclays
and the Commercial Bank
of Africa, as well as
forex bureaux (which are
open longer hours), are
normally fastest, and
Standard Chartered is
also reasonable. The
Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB)
is ubiquitous but
usually slow and in
places charges
outrageous commission (fifteen
percent). In out-of-the-way
places, you may have to
wait till 10am to change
money, as the rates take
ages being sent up from
Nairobi. Lastly, if a
clerk is being unhelpful
or otherwise difficult,
a polite but firm demand
to see the manager can
work miracles
