.co.ke domain: how to register one and what to check first

A .co.ke domain is the Kenyan ending KeNIC describes as meant for companies, and you buy it from a licensed registrar, not from KeNIC itself. KeNIC’s third-level policy says any natural person or legal entity may apply, names are first come, first served, and the policy asks for no company documents for .co.ke. Prices are set elsewhere: none of the KeNIC pages we read shows one.

This guide to the .co.ke domain comes from KeNIC’s website, its FAQ, its published third-level domains policy (version 1.0, effective 28 March 2022) and IANA’s record for .ke, all opened on 5 October 2026. It is general information, not legal advice. Registry rules change, so read the current policy before you pay.

What a .co.ke domain is and who runs it

IANA’s delegation record names the Kenya Network Information Center (KeNIC) as the manager of .ke, with a registration date of 29 April 1993 and a record last updated on 25 October 2025. KeNIC’s home page describes itself as a company limited by guarantee, licensed to manage and administer the .ke country domain. It shows more than 131,000 .ke domains, nine third-level extensions and 195 registrars on the day we read it.

A .co.ke domain is a third-level name, meaning two name parts before .ke, for example yourcompany.co.ke. KeNIC’s FAQ says the third level shows the function of the institution, with co.ke for companies. A second-level name has one part before .ke, such as yourname.ke.

.co.ke domain vs .ke and .or.ke: the endings compared

KeNIC’s products page lists what each ending is for.

Ending	KeNIC’s description	Documents asked for
.co.ke	E-commerce sites, retail businesses and other commercial ventures	None listed
.or.ke	Not-for-profit organisations and NGOs	None listed
.ne.ke	Network-related organisations such as ISPs	None listed
.me.ke	Personal websites, portfolios or blogs	None listed
.mobi.ke, .info.ke	Mobile-friendly sites; informative or educational sites	None listed
.sc.ke	Lower and middle institutes of learning	Certificate of Registration from the Ministry of Education
.ac.ke	Higher education institutions	Registration certificate, college charter or Act of Parliament
.go.ke	Government institutions	Authority letter from the ICT Authority
.ke	A second-level name, no specialisation	See below

For a business that sells, invoices or runs email, the .co.ke domain is the one KeNIC’s wording points at. A shop could argue for .info.ke or .me.ke, but customers read the ending, and .co.ke signals a company.

On plain .ke: KeNIC’s products page lists second-level names such as yourname.ke and links a Second Level Domain policy. That policy describes sunrise, land-rush and general-availability phases for a launch. We could not tell from the pages which phase applies today. Ask a registrar to check a name before you plan around it.

Who can register a .co.ke domain

Item 4 of the third-level policy’s terms says: “Any natural person or legal entity may apply for registration of a Domain Name.” Item 5 says names are allocated on a first come, first served basis. We found no local-presence rule for buyers. The “local presence” wording in the FAQ is about organisations that want to become accredited registrars. Item 2 adds that registration is not an absolute right and that KeNIC keeps the authority to revoke a registration it considers a breach of its policies or the law.

Item 3 has the registrant warrant that the name will not infringe anyone’s rights, so check trademarks before you buy.

Register a .co.ke domain in 5 steps

KeNIC’s own summary is three steps: search the name, register it with an accredited registrar, and buy it. These five steps expand them, and the order of work is ours.

1. Test the name against the rules. See the next section. Say the finished email address aloud: info@yourcompany.co.ke.
2. Check availability. Use the search box on KeNIC’s home page.
3. Pick a licensed registrar. KeNIC’s licensed registrars page lists them with contact details. KeNIC publishes no price, so ask two or three for the first-year and renewal cost in shillings, and whether tax is extra.
4. Register in the company’s name. KeNIC’s FAQ says that if a company is paying, it should normally be the registrant, because transferring later is time-consuming and may cost extra. The FAQ says you can register for up to 5 years and set auto-renewal with your registrar.
5. Wait for DNS, then add mail. KeNIC’s FAQ says it usually takes up to 30 minutes for DNS servers across the internet to learn about a new domain. After that, add the mail records your email provider gives you.

Name rules: what KeNIC allows

From the same terms and conditions:

• Only characters a to z, 0 to 9 and hyphens.
• Minimum length of two letters for third-level names (one letter for second-level).
• Maximum of 63 characters.
• No hyphen at the start or end.
• Names must conform to RFCs 1034, 1035, 1122 and 1123.
• Sub-domains may not be sold, leased or transferred, and the domain must not be used for illegal activity, which the policy lists as including phishing and malware distribution.

There is also a documented dispute route: the policy sends disputes to KeNIC’s Alternate Dispute Resolution Policy.

What happens when the name expires

Here the policy and the FAQ do not match, so we show both. The policy says domain names are registered for one year from the date of registration, while the FAQ says the initial period is one year or up to five. The registrar can tell you which applies to your purchase.

Time after expiry	What the policy says
14 days	Domains are suspended if renewal payments are not submitted
90 days	Expired domains are deleted and become available for registration
After restoration	A restored domain resumes its old billing cycle

The policy says “suspended” without listing which services stop. A suspended domain no longer works normally, so plan for your website and email to be affected. That is our reasoning and not KeNIC’s wording. Put the expiry date in two calendars and pay with a card that outlasts the renewal.

Before you pay: a .co.ke domain checklist

• The name follows the character and length rules above, and a quick search shows no trademark clash.
• The registrar appears on KeNIC’s licensed list, and you have its first-year and renewal prices in writing.
• The registrant is the company, not a developer or an employee’s personal account.
• Contact details are accurate. The terms say registrations must adhere to KeNIC’s WHOIS policy, and a wrong email address on the record means renewal notices go nowhere.
• Auto-renewal is on if the registrar offers it, and two people hold the login.
• You know how long the .co.ke domain is registered for and when it expires.
• Mail records wait until DNS has settled, which KeNIC’s FAQ says can take up to 30 minutes.

Using the name for business email

A domain is the part after the @ in an address, and KeNIC’s FAQ says as much. Once the .co.ke domain is registered, the setup is the same as anywhere: choose a provider, verify the domain, add the mail records and create the mailboxes. Our business email setup guide for Africa walks through it, and the business email address format article covers the part before the @.

For the signature, a made-up Nairobi example shows the domain in use:

Example only. The company, numbers and person are made up. A real example would show a .co.ke address.

Our article on a business email signature in Kenya covers the +254 number format and company details. To compare countries, read how to choose a business domain name in Africa. A tool like emailfooter can then keep one signature design across the team. Each person installs their own by following steps, and nothing is pushed into mailboxes.

Frequently asked questions

Can a foreign company register a .co.ke domain?

KeNIC’s policy says any natural person or legal entity may apply, and we found no local-presence rule for registrants. Confirm with your registrar, who may ask for contact details.

How much does a .co.ke domain cost?

KeNIC’s pages do not show a price. Registrars set their own, so ask licensed registrars for the first-year and renewal price in shillings.

What is the difference between .co.ke and .ke?

.co.ke is a third-level name that KeNIC describes as for companies and commercial ventures. Plain .ke is a second-level name with no specialisation, and we could not confirm its current availability.

Do I need documents to register a .co.ke name?

KeNIC lists supporting documents only for .go.ke, .ac.ke and .sc.ke. For .co.ke it lists none, though a registrar may ask for contact details.

How long can I register a .co.ke name for?

KeNIC’s FAQ says you can register for up to 5 years. Its policy text says one year from registration, so check with your registrar.