Kenya’s .ke domains surge as SMEs embrace digital economy

Data from the Kenya Network Information Centre (KeNIC), which manages Kenya’s .ke country-code top-level domain, shows that the number of .ke domains under management rose by 16.06 per cent between June 2025 and June 2026.

The number increased from 111,268 to 129,140, representing an additional 17,872 domains in one year.

The growth significantly outpaced the global country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) market, which expanded by an average of 3.6 per cent over the same period. Established global domains such as .com and .net grew by 5.1 per cent.

KeNIC Finance and Strategy Manager Hildah Maina attributed the strong performance to rising demand for Kenyan digital identities and efforts by local domain registrars to simplify access to online business tools.

“We have seen our own registry, that is the .ke registry, growing by 16 per cent in the last H1 as compared to the last H1 in 2025. And when you compare it to the global market, the ccTLD overall grew by 3.6 per cent,” Ms Maina said.

The rapid adoption is also being supported by artificial intelligence, which is lowering the technical and financial barriers that have traditionally prevented small businesses from establishing websites.

According to KeNIC, some accredited registrars now offer AI-powered website builders that allow businesses to register a .ke domain and create a website in less than a minute.

The development could prove significant for micro and small enterprises that often lack the financial resources to hire web developers or maintain sophisticated digital operations.

KeNIC has also introduced a mobile application designed to simplify domain registration and give users access to tools that can help them establish an online presence.

The registry offers several domain extensions, including .co.ke for commercial businesses, .or.ke for organisations, .go.ke for government institutions and .me.ke for personal websites.

KeNIC is targeting one million .ke domains by 2030, up from the current 129,140, with an intermediate target of 300,000 domains.

The organisation is positioning domain registration as the entry point into a wider digital transformation journey, enabling businesses to access e-commerce, cloud computing, online marketing and other digital services.

The push to expand .ke adoption is also moving beyond Kenya. KeNIC has appointed Thomas Kwaka Omolo, popularly known as Big Ted, as its global brand ambassador to promote the Kenyan domain among the diaspora and international markets.

Omolo said .co.ke could help Kenyan businesses establish a stronger digital identity and showcase local products and services to global consumers.

The surge in registrations highlights the changing nature of Kenya’s business environment, where retailers, manufacturers, professional service providers and informal enterprises are increasingly relying on digital platforms for marketing, sales, payments and customer engagement.

For SMEs, the combination of affordable domains, automated registration and AI-powered website creation is making digital presence easier to achieve.

The challenge for KeNIC will now be to sustain the momentum and accelerate registrations if it is to achieve its ambitious one-million-domain target by 2030.