+254 country code: Kenya

Who uses +254

The +254 country code is assigned to Kenya, whose official name is the Republic of Kenya and whose ISO code is KE. Kenya is the only country on this page. Callers and senders reach Kenyan numbers through +254, and people in Kenya use the same code when giving out their numbers to contacts abroad. The demonym for the country is Kenyan.

Where Kenya is and how it runs

Kenya sits in Africa, in the Eastern Africa subregion. Its capital is Nairobi. The official languages are English and Swahili, and the currency is the Kenyan shilling. Kenya keeps one time zone, Africa/Nairobi (UTC+03:00), all year.

What a +254 number looks like

Kenyan mobile numbers in international format follow the pattern +254 712 123456. The country code 254 comes first, then the subscriber digits. Use that layout when storing a Kenyan contact or passing a number to another person, so the number works from outside Kenya as well as inside it.

Reaching a +254 number over the internet

A data connection is enough to call or message a +254 number. Internet calling and messaging apps carry the call or the message over that connection, which keeps the cost of contacting Kenya low compared with ordinary international routes. The person receiving the call or message needs a working Kenyan mobile line. If that line runs low on credit, you can top up a Kenya number directly. Slashtel sends prepaid mobile top-ups to these Kenya operators: Safaricom, Airtel, Telkom. A top-up adds credit to the Kenyan line, and the recipient can then use that credit for calls, messages or data as their operator allows. Check the number carefully before sending: the country code is 254, the capital is Nairobi, and Kenyan numbers are written in the +254 712 123456 format. Credit sent to a Kenyan line is held in Kenyan shillings on the operator side, so the amount applied reflects the shilling balance of that account. Contact with Kenya is therefore straightforward: a data connection for the call or message, and a top-up when the Kenyan line needs credit.

Time and practical notes

Kenya's single time zone, Africa/Nairobi (UTC+03:00), applies across the country, including Nairobi. When you arrange a call or a top-up for a Kenyan number, the local clock in Kenya follows that offset. The language you use on the call can be English or Swahili, the two official languages. Payments and balances on Kenyan lines are in Kenyan shillings. Everything on this page concerns Kenya alone, the country that holds the +254 code.