Regardless of whether it’s a beach vacation, safari, or business trip when travelling to Kenya, you might want to continue using the internet on your smartphone and avoid exorbitant roaming fees. You can either get a local SIM card or conveniently get a suitable eSIM plan before departure.
Firstly, it’s important to determine whether your smartphone supports eSIM profiles:
What is an eSIM and is my smartphone compatible?
An eSIM is a digital SIM card that can be loaded directly onto a compatible device without the need for a physical SIM card. This type of SIM card is particularly convenient for travellers because it is easy and quick to buy and activate online without having to worry about a physical SIM card.
You will find numerous providers of eSIM plans on the Internet. With most of them, you buy a one-off prepaid plan for a certain number of days and data volume. After expiry, there are no further costs and you do not need a subscription.
Unfortunately, not all smartphones support an eSIM. You have good odds with an iPhone 11 / 12 / 13, but also with an Android smartphone, e.g. Google Pixel 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 or Samsung Galaxy S20, S21, or Note 20. You can find a list of smartphones that support eSIM here: Which devices support an eSIM?
If your Android smartphone does not support eSIM profiles, eSIM.me is a physical SIM card that you can use with eSIM profiles.
Most eSIM providers only offer data volume and no free minutes. Since these are also prepaid plans, outgoing calls are generally not supported. With some smartphones, e.g. iPhones, you can still be reached via your normal SIM card and make calls.
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Plans Compared
You can easily find the right plan here. Just select your travel duration and the needed data volume, and suitable eSIM plans will be displayed:
Cheapest Providers
Across various typical combinations, Manet usually offers the most affordable prices. Monty eSIM and Nomad are in a similar price category.
| Providers | 1GB for 7 days | 3GB for 14 days | 5GB for 30 days | 10GB for 30 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airhub | 3GB 15 days | 15 days | ||
| eSIM4Travel | 30 days | |||
| Mobimatter | 14 days | 30 days | 60 days | |
| Instabridge | 15 days | 10GB | ||
| Monty eSIM | 30 days | |||
| Manet.travel | €6 | €17 30 days | €28 | €49 |
| Nomad | 30 days | |||
| Saily | 30 days | - | ||
| Flexiroam | 30 days | 60 days | 180 days | |
| ETravelSim | 30 days | |||
| Airalo | 30 days | - | ||
| Yesim | €10 | €32 30 days | €48 | €55 |
| MTX Connect | €12 | €25 4GB | €60 | €60 |
| Gigsky | 5GB 30 days | |||
| Textr | 30 days | |||
| iFree Mogo | 6GB 15 days | 6GB 15 days | - | - |
| RedteaGO | 6GB 15 days | 6GB 15 days | - | - |
| Holafly | 15 days | |||
| SimOptions | 6GB 15 days | 6GB 15 days | - | - |
| Ubigi | 30 days | - | - | - |
| Maya Mobile | 30 days | 30 days | - |
Unlimited Data Plans
Holafly offers unlimited data plans for Kenya for 5-30 days. It might be cost-effective if you need a significant amount of data.
Pay-As-You-Go
MTX Connect offers a pay-as-you-go plan. For a one-time fee of €10, you get the eSIM profile and €10 credit. Afterwards, you pay €0.12 per MB in many countries worldwide, including Kenya.
Best Network in Kenya
Kenya has four mobile network operators: Safaricom, Airtel, Telkon, and Faiba. Safaricom provides by far the best network, followed by Airtel. Telkon and Faiba are limited to the major cities of Nairobi and Mombasa and are not suitable for travel across the country or in rural areas. However, some limitations should be expected in such areas.