International founders · Nairobi
Establish Your Foreign-Owned Company in Kenya
- 100% foreign ownership
- ~5 working days
- You don’t need to fly in
Starting from
$450
~5 working days. Tax, banking and the rest, quoted up front.
What you’re setting up
A real Kenyan company, wholly yours.
Setting up means incorporating a Private Limited Company under Kenya’s Companies Act 2015 — a legal entity you own outright. Foreign investors can hold 100% of the shares; the law asks only for one director and one shareholder, and they can be the same person.
Structure
Private Limited Company
Limited liability; the standard vehicle for foreign investment in Kenya.
Ownership
100% foreign-owned
No Kenyan shareholder required. The company is wholly yours.
Minimum
1 director, 1 shareholder
One person can be both. Corporate shareholders allowed.
What we handle
- Name search and reservation
- Incorporation documents drafted and filed
- Certificate of Incorporation — in ~5 working days
- A registered office address in Nairobi
- The local presence the law requires of foreign-owned companies — a company secretary or resident director, provided by us
- KRA PIN tax setup for the company and its directors
- Corporate bank account — introduction and KYC
What you provide
- Two or three proposed company names
- A one-line description of the business
- A colour copy of each director’s and shareholder’s passport (photo page)
- A passport-size photo, phone number, email, and residential address for each director
- How the shares are split (skip it if there’s a single owner)
That’s genuinely it — from wherever you are.
Transparent pricing · in USD
From$450
No quote wall, no surprises. Incorporation is a fixed $450, completed in about five working days. Everything else is priced the same way — you see every fee before you commit.
- Company setup (Private Ltd)~5 working daysName reservation, incorporation, Certificate of Incorporation issued$450
- Tax Setup (KRA PIN)~2 working daysPer director · prerequisite for a work permit$300
- Corporate bank account~2 weeksKYC handled; final approval rests with the bank$200
- Registered legal addressper annumNairobi address for statutory correspondence$150
- Certified company secretaryConditionalper annumOnly where there is no local director$200
The $450 is the complete cost to incorporate — statutory government filing fees included, not added later. Each service above is fixed and quoted before you commit; you only pay for what your setup needs.
How it works · remotely
Four steps, handled from Nairobi — you never fly in.
Everything happens by email and WhatsApp. You send a few documents; our Nairobi team files the incorporation, obtains the tax PINs, and opens the bank account on your behalf.
- 01
On kickoff
You send the basics
A colour passport copy of each director and shareholder, plus a photo and contact details (phone, email, residential address) for each director, two or three proposed company names, and how the shares are split — all by email or WhatsApp.
- 02
~5 working days
Name reserved & company incorporated
We reserve the name and file the incorporation. You receive the Certificate of Incorporation and your statutory forms.
- 03
~2 working days
Tax PIN obtained (KRA)
We obtain the KRA tax PIN for the company and each director — required before a work permit and to open the bank account.
- 04
~2 weeks
Corporate bank account opened
We prepare the KYC pack — Certificate of Incorporation, CR-12, passports and tax PINs — and introduce you to the bank. The bank makes the final approval; we prepare you to clear it first time.
From your first email to an operating company — about three to four weeks end-to-end, entirely remote.
For foreign owners · the specifics
What’s different when you’re a foreign owner.
Most of setting up is the same for anyone. A few things are specific to foreign-owned companies — here they are, without the fine print.
- 100% ownership
No Kenyan partner required.
Foreign investors can hold all the shares — you own the company outright. There’s no local-shareholding rule to dilute you.
- The one local requirement
A resident director or a company secretary.
Kenyan law asks a foreign-owned company to keep one local statutory presence. We provide a certified company secretary as standard — non-executive, holding no shares — so your ownership and control are untouched.
- Your money
Profits you can move out.
Kenya allows foreign-currency accounts, and company profits and dividends can be repatriated. Dividends paid to non-residents carry a withholding tax of 10–15% — the rate depends on any double-taxation treaty with your country; East African Community citizens pay 5%. For larger transfers, the bank may ask for proof of source of funds, typically audited financial statements, under anti-money-laundering rules.
- Living & working
Owning isn’t the same as working here.
You can own and direct the company entirely from abroad. If you intend to live or work in Kenya, that’s a separate step — an Investor Work Permit (Class G): $10,000, about 2–3 months, valid two years — which we also handle.
See the work-permit path
What you receive · the dossier
Everything in writing — and named.
When your company is incorporated you receive the full statutory set, not a summary email. Here’s exactly what lands in your hands.
Certificate of Incorporation
The legal proof your company exists, issued on incorporation and bearing its unique company number. This is the document the world recognises.
- CR-12An official extract of your company’s record from the government database — your directors, your shareholders and their shareholdings, share capital, contact details and company secretary. This is the report your bank asks for to open the account.
- Form CR-1Lists your company’s directors and the company secretary, if any.
- Form CR-2Lists your shareholders and the number of shares each one holds.
- Form CR-8Records the residential addresses of your directors.
- Beneficial Owners Form 1Records your beneficial owners — the individuals who ultimately own or control the company, as Kenyan law requires.
- Articles of AssociationYour company’s internal rulebook — how it’s owned, governed and run.
Digital copies — yours to keep, wherever you are.
Why work with us
Ten years helping entrepreneurs establish in Kenya.
Since 2015 we’ve been the on-the-ground team for international investors entering Kenya — a focused senior practice across finance, strategy and law, led by Edwin Maina.
- Investors served
- 265+
- Years in market
- 10
- Countries served
- 20+
- Compliance rate
- 100%
Beyond setup
We stay your team on the ground — and take the rest off your plate.
Due diligence
Background and counterparty checks before you commit to a partner or a deal.
Hiring & payroll
Put staff on the ground through our Employer of Record — no second entity required.
Compliance calendar
We track every statutory filing and deadline, so penalties never catch you out.
Introductions
Warm introductions to banks, regulators and a vetted local network.
Workspace
A registered address, a virtual office, or help finding physical space.
Tax & books
Accounting and bookkeeping handled, month to month.
Led by Edwin Maina, Principal.
In their words
Founders who set up from abroad.
A few of the international clients we have set up in Kenya — and still act for, on the ground in Nairobi.
“They set up our Kenyan company without us flying in once. Every filing and deadline was handled, and the cost was exactly what we were quoted.”
J. WhitmoreOperations Director · United Kingdom“From tax to compliance, we got clear, specific advice — not vague reassurance. They act like a partner on the ground, not a vendor.”
Omar Al MansooriBusiness Development Manager · UAE“They formed the company, opened our bank account, and still handle our annual returns. Having a local team we trust made the difference.”
C. OkaforFounder & CEO · Nigeria
Common questions
The questions foreign founders ask.
Still unsure about your situation? Ask us directly — we answer in plain terms.
Yes — a Private Limited Company can be wholly foreign-owned, with as few as one director and one shareholder. The law asks only that a foreign-owned company keep one local statutory presence — a resident director or company secretary, which we provide.
No. The whole process runs by email and WhatsApp, and our Nairobi team acts as your presence on the ground. You never need to fly in.
Incorporation is a fixed $450, with the statutory government filing fee included. Tax setup, banking and the rest are each priced in USD and quoted up front — you see every fee before you commit.
About five working days to incorporate, roughly two working days for the KRA tax PIN, and about two weeks for the bank account — three to four weeks end-to-end, entirely remote.
No local partner or shareholder. A foreign-owned company does need a local director or a company secretary; we provide a certified company secretary as standard — non-executive, holding no shares — so your control is untouched.
Two or three proposed company names, a one-line description of the business, a colour passport copy for each director and shareholder, plus a photo, phone, email and residential address for each director, and how the shares are split. That’s genuinely it — all by email or WhatsApp, no notarised papers.
Yes. Kenya allows foreign-currency accounts, and profits and dividends can be repatriated. Dividends paid to non-residents carry a withholding tax of 10–15% — the rate depends on any double-taxation treaty with your country; East African Community citizens pay 5%. For larger transfers the bank may ask for proof of source of funds.
Your Certificate of Incorporation, the CR-12, forms CR-1 / CR-2 / CR-8, the Beneficial Owners Form 1, and your Articles of Association — issued as digital copies.
Get started
Tell us about your setup.
A short message is all we need to begin. We’ll reply personally with the next steps, the fixed cost, and a timeline.
- Fixed fees from $450 — quoted up front
- Incorporated in about 5 working days
- 100% remote — you never fly in
Prefer to chat? Message us on WhatsApp
We usually reply within a maximum of one business day. No obligation — your details stay private.