Kenya's domain registry, KeNIC (the Kenya Network Information Centre), offers ten kinds of .ke address: the short name.ke and nine endings such as .co.ke and .or.ke. Seven of them are open to anyone. Three, .sc.ke, .ac.ke and .go.ke, are held back until KeNIC has seen a document proving you qualify. This guide sets out what each ending is for and which papers the restricted ones need, taken from KeNIC's own published rules as they stood in November 2026. For the price of each one, registration and renewal side by side, see our .ke price index.
All ten at a glance
| Ending | What KeNIC says it is for | Documents needed |
|---|---|---|
| name.ke | The short form, straight after .ke, such as yourname.ke | None |
| .co.ke | Companies, shops and other commercial ventures | None |
| .or.ke | Not-for-profit organisations and NGOs | None |
| .ne.ke | Network related organisations, such as internet providers | None |
| .me.ke | Personal websites, portfolios and blogs | None |
| .info.ke | Informative or educational websites | None |
| .mobi.ke | Mobile friendly websites and apps | None |
| .sc.ke | Lower and middle institutes of learning: schools | Ministry of Education certificate of registration |
| .ac.ke | Institutions of higher education | Certificate of registration, college charter or Act of Parliament |
| .go.ke | Government ministries, departments and public institutions | A letter of authority from government ICT services |
The seven open endings
For these KeNIC asks for no proof of who you are or what you do. Any person or organisation can register one through an accredited registrar, the same way they would buy a .com. The description is a guide to the intended use, not a test you have to pass, although a name that pretends to be someone else can still be challenged under KeNIC's dispute rules.
- .co.ke is what most Kenyan businesses use, and what Kenyan customers expect from a company. You do not need a registered company to hold one.
- .or.ke suits NGOs, churches, community groups, foundations and associations. KeNIC lists no supporting documents for it.
- name.ke is shorter and more memorable, and usually costs more than the third level endings. Compare its renewal price on the price index before you build a brand on it.
- .me.ke is for a person: a CV site, a portfolio, a blog under your own name.
- .ne.ke, .info.ke and .mobi.ke are niche. Unless one of them fits your work exactly, a .co.ke or .or.ke will be easier for people to remember and type.
The three that need documents
When someone orders .sc.ke, .ac.ke or .go.ke, the registry opens a ticket for it. In KeNIC's words, the ticket is closed only once the supporting documents have been received, and only then is the domain published. Until that point the name is not live, so a website or email address on it will not work yet.
.sc.ke, for schools
KeNIC asks for a copy of the Certificate of Registration from the Ministry of Education. It must carry the school's name and show the school as a kindergarten, primary or secondary school. A school that is still waiting for its certificate cannot use .sc.ke yet; .co.ke or .or.ke can carry it in the meantime, with a move later.
Before you order, check the renewal price on our .ke price index. Compare the first year with the renewal, which is what the school pays every year after, and build the budget on the renewal figure.
.ac.ke, for colleges and universities
KeNIC accepts any one of three documents: a certificate of registration from the relevant ministry, the institution's college charter, or the Act of Parliament that established it. Whichever you send must carry the institution's name and show it as a tertiary institution: a polytechnic, technical institute, college or university.
.go.ke, for government
A .go.ke needs a letter of authority confirming that the body is a genuine government institution or agency allowed to register the name. KeNIC's own pages do not agree on who issues it: its product page names the ICT Authority, while its FAQ names the Department of Government IT Services. A ministry, county or state agency should ask its ICT office which applies before ordering.
Getting the document step right
- The name must match. The name on the certificate or letter should be the name of the body registering the domain. A trading name that appears nowhere on the document invites a query.
- Send a clear copy. A straight, readable scan or photo of the whole page, not a cropped corner.
- Order when you have the document in hand. The domain waits for it, so ordering first and searching for the certificate later only delays the launch.
Is .sch.ke a real ending?
No. Some websites recommend .sch.ke for schools, but KeNIC does not offer it. KeNIC's own records show that sch.ke is simply a name.ke domain registered to someone in 2018. An address like yourschool.sch.ke would therefore be a corner of somebody else's domain, which you would never own, and KeNIC's terms for name.ke holders do not allow them to sell subdomains. For a school, the registry's answer is .sc.ke.
Can you register a .ke from outside Kenya?
Yes. KeNIC states that any company or individual can register a .ke domain through its accredited registrars, wherever they live. The requirement to have an office in Kenya applies to the registrars, not to you. In practice the three restricted endings need Kenyan documents, so they are for Kenyan institutions, but a .co.ke, .or.ke, .me.ke or name.ke can be held by a business or person anywhere.
What happens if a .ke domain is not renewed
KeNIC's published life cycle runs like this:
- Days 1 to 14 after expiry: the domain still works and can be renewed as normal.
- From day 15: it is suspended. The website and email on it stop working. You can still renew it through your registrar, and it comes back once renewed.
- Around day 90: a domain that has not been renewed is deleted and the name goes back on sale to anyone.
During suspension a renewal is still possible, but a transfer to another registrar needs a restoration by KeNIC first. The simplest protection is to renew before the expiry date; our guide to renewing a .co.ke on time covers how.
Moving a .ke to another provider
The registrant owns a .ke domain, and KeNIC's policy lets you move it to the registrar of your choice. Ask your current provider for the authorisation code (also called the EPP code) and give it to the new one. A provider that will not hand over the code is holding something that belongs to you.
Questions we get asked
Can a person without a company register a .co.ke?
Yes. KeNIC does not require a registered business for .co.ke. It is described as the ending for commercial use, but ownership is open to individuals too.
Does a church or NGO have to prove its status for .or.ke?
KeNIC's published rules list no supporting documents for .or.ke. It is meant for non-profit organisations, so use it if that is what you are.
Can a private school or college use .co.ke instead?
Yes, .co.ke is open to everyone. Many institutions use .sc.ke or .ac.ke because parents and students recognise them, but nothing stops a school from using .co.ke while its certificate is being processed.
Which .ke endings does SiteBoma sell?
All of them except .mobi.ke. The open ones register as soon as the invoice is paid. For .sc.ke, .ac.ke and .go.ke our team handles the order by hand and asks you for the document KeNIC needs, and the domain goes live once KeNIC has accepted it.
Find your .ke name
Search a name on our domains page to see whether it is free, with the first year and renewal price shown before you pay. Building a site for a school? Our school website hosting page covers the rest. For the step by step registration of a .co.ke, see registering a .co.ke domain.