There is no accurate count of Chinese people in Kenya. This site uses an estimate of about 20,000 to 50,000; the MOFCOM guide says “conservatively more than 50,000”. At the end of 2024 there were 3,091 Chinese contract workers in Kenya. Chinese residents are concentrated in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and other large cities, working in trade, tourism, catering, healthcare and real estate.
The main organisations are the Kenya China Economic and Trade Association (mostly Chinese companies) and the Kenya Overseas Chinese Association. The Chinese Embassy is in Nairobi.
History and size
China and Kenya established diplomatic relations on 14 December 1963 [1]. Over the past decade or so, the Chinese presence has grown with construction and trade: the Mombasa–Nairobi standard gauge railway, built by China Communications Construction, opened on 31 May 2017 [1]; in 2024 Chinese firms signed 137 new contracts in Kenya worth USD 1.701 billion [1]. China’s direct investment stock in Kenya was USD 1.91 billion at the end of 2024 [1].
On numbers, the MOFCOM guide says there are no exact statistics and gives a conservative estimate of over 50,000; Chinese contract workers numbered 3,091 at the end of 2024 [1]. Weighing the available figures, this site uses roughly 20,000 to 50,000; see Chinese population in Africa for comparisons. Separately, more than 90,000 Chinese tourists visited Kenya in 2024, up 47.4% [1]; they are short-term visitors, not residents.
Where Chinese people live and work
Chinese residents are mainly in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and other big cities [1]. According to the Kenya Overseas Chinese Association, there are about 20 Chinese-run restaurants and about 20 travel businesses, some 100 small import-export traders, and several dozen engineering and manufacturing businesses [1].
Chinese companies are mostly contractors, plus telecoms, manufacturing, finance, logistics and healthcare firms. Those listed in the MOFCOM guide include China Road and Bridge, Huawei, AVIC International, China Wu Yi, PowerChina, Keda/Sunda, China State Construction, StarTimes, XCMG, SANY, Transsion and the Bank of China Nairobi representative office [1]. Some have factories in export processing zones and SEZs such as Tatu City; see registering a company in Kenya.
Associations and chambers of commerce
| Name | About | Contact (MOFCOM guide, 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Kenya China Economic and Trade Association | Founded 2 January 2001; 105 members, about 60% contractors and about 70% state-owned; its 10th council was elected in May 2023, chaired by China Road and Bridge’s Kenya office [1] | kceta2012@gmail.com [1] |
| Kenya Overseas Chinese Association | Overseas Chinese community body; the MOFCOM guide suggests Chinese companies can also turn to it for help [1] | Suite 08-10, 15th Floor, Postbank House, Market Lane, Nairobi; tel. +254-20-8014333/8014334 [1] |
The guide also lists two Chinese-run advisory firms, Yingke Africa Consultancy and Jingshi Africa [1]. This site has not verified the names of other hometown or trade groups.
Chinese-language media
- China Radio International’s FM station began broadcasting in Kenya on 27 February 2006, the first Chinese FM station in the country [1].
- Xinhua runs its Africa regional bureau in Nairobi; CCTV’s Africa branch was set up in Kenya in January 2012; China Daily’s Africa edition launched in Kenya on 14 December 2012 [1].
- StarTimes operates digital TV in Kenya and launched the Swahili and English channel Rembo TV in August 2019 [1].
WeChat groups are a common way for Chinese in Kenya to share business and daily-life information, but this site has not verified specific group names. Be careful: in July 2026 the embassy warned that fraud and gambling rings recruit through offers of high pay, business partnerships and high-rate currency exchange [5]. See the Kenya safety guide.
Shopping: Chinese goods and supermarkets
The best-known Chinese-owned retailer is China Square. It opened at Unicity Mall in Nairobi in January 2023 and closed temporarily in February 2023 after protests by local traders [2]. As reported in August 2025, it has branches at Waterfront Mall (Karen), Greenspan Mall, Two Rivers Mall and Hyper Mall in Nairobi, Nyali Bazaar in Mombasa and Mega City Mall in Kisumu [2].
This site has not verified the names of Chinese supermarkets or restaurants; ask the Overseas Chinese Association or colleagues. UnionPay cards can be used at shopping centres, supermarkets and hotels served by Equity Bank, and at Standard Bank POS terminals and ATMs [1].
Flights
According to the MOFCOM guide, China Southern has flown Guangzhou–Nairobi since August 2015 and Changsha–Nairobi since June 2019; Kenya Airways started direct Nairobi–Guangzhou flights in 2013; there are no direct flights from Beijing or Shanghai, so travellers connect via Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha or Addis Ababa [1]. Routes change, so check with airlines.
Chinese Embassy in Kenya
| Address | Woodlands Road, P.O. Box 30508-00100, Nairobi [1] |
|---|---|
| Switchboard | +254-20-2726851 [1] |
| 24-hour consular protection | +254-20-2711222 [1][4] |
| Document enquiries | +254-717070214 [4] |
| Consular email | nairobi@csm.mfa.gov.cn [4] |
| Website | ke.china-embassy.gov.cn [3] |
| Economic and Commercial Office | Tel. +254-20-2722559, email ke@mofcom.gov.cn [1] |
The ambassador in 2026 is Guo Haiyan [3]. For passports and other documents, see renewing a Chinese passport in Africa. For neighbouring Tanzania, see the Chinese community in Tanzania, and for the wider region, East Africa.
References
- Country Guide for Outward Investment and Cooperation: Kenya (2025 edition) (PRC Ministry of Commerce, 2025)
- Story of the businessmen behind Kenya’s famous China Square (The Kenya Times, 17 August 2025)
- Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Kenya (Chinese Embassy in Kenya, accessed October 2026)
- Chinese Embassy in Kenya reminds Chinese citizens to travel safely during the Spring Festival holiday (China News Service, reproducing the embassy notice, 8 January 2026)
- Chinese Embassy: Kenya raids telecom-fraud den and deports Chinese suspects (The Paper, 24 July 2026)