SMS compliance in Kenya

The rules that apply to business SMS sent to numbers in Kenya, with the source for each.

Quiet hours

Promotional SMS 07:00-19:00 only.

Source: CA Kenya Consumer Protection Guidelines 2022

Consent

Prior opt-in consent required for promotional messages; data subject consent per DPA 2019 s.37 (commercial use).

Source: Data Protection Act 2019

Opt-out

Promotional messages must include an opt-out option (e.g., STOP to short code).

Source: Data Protection Act 2019 / regulator rules

Prohibited content

Blocked: phishing/fraud, illegal or unlicensed gambling, adult content, hate/political content (most operators), counterfeit/illegal goods, unlicensed financial offers; URL shorteners often blocked.

Source: Operator content policies / national advertising law

Data protection law

Data Protection Act 2019. Supervisory authority: ODPC.

Source: Data Protection Act 2019

Sender ID rule

Pre-registration on Safaricom, Airtel, Telkom; one traffic type per SID on Safaricom.

Source: Operator/regulator registration rules

Other

Classify traffic as promotional or transactional; OTP/transactional must not contain marketing content; use local language or Unicode where required.

Source: Industry practice

This summary is guidance, not legal advice. Last verified 23 October 2026.