Send Money from Australia to Kenya

Measured on the full cost — the transfer fee plus the exchange-rate margin — Remitly is cheapest on this corridor at A$1,000, across the 2 providers we hold checked figures for. The cheapest provider also changes with the amount you send, so compare the final sum that arrives in Kenyan shillings rather than the headline fee.

At A$1,000, Remitly is the cheapest of the 2 providers priced at that amount on this corridor: about A$7.00 all in, or 0.70% of the amount sent. Western Union is next at about A$30.99. That is the fee plus the exchange-rate margin that applied to a transfer of that size — priced at A$1,000 specifically, not worked out from a measurement taken at some other amount. It covers a bank transfer; cash pickup and mobile wallet payouts are priced separately. The margins were measured by Wise's comparison service rather than published by the providers themselves, and other providers here may be cheaper and are not priced this way.

Delivery ranges from minutes to a few business days depending on the provider and payout method. Western Union can deliver within minutes when you pay by debit card. Bank-funded and economy transfers typically take one to three business days but usually cost less. Transfers sent outside banking hours or over a weekend may not settle until the next working day.

Across the providers we compare, the available payout methods are M-Pesa, AirtelTigo Money, bank deposit and cash pickup. The most widely used options in Kenya are M-Pesa mobile money and bank deposit. M-Pesa is the dominant way to receive money in Kenya — most transfers arrive on a phone number within minutes. Not every provider supports every method, so check the table above before you commit.

No. Remitly and Western Union offer cash pickup in Kenya, so your recipient can collect the funds with valid photo ID and the transfer reference number. That said, M-Pesa mobile money and bank deposit generally cost less than cash collection.

Providers rarely give you the mid-market rate — the reference rate you see on Google or Reuters. Instead they add a margin, typically between 0.4% and 4%, and keep the difference. That margin is often larger than the visible transfer fee, which is why a "no fee" service can still be more expensive overall. For AUD to KES, compare the quoted rate against the mid-market rate to see the real spread you are paying.

Yes, provided you use a licensed provider. Every service listed on this page is regulated in Australia under AUSTRAC, which requires safeguarding of customer funds and identity verification. Send only to people you know personally, keep your transfer reference private, and be sceptical of anyone pressuring you to send money urgently to someone you have not met.

Yes. Each provider sets its own transfer limits, which vary by how much identity verification you have completed and how you pay. Larger transfers may require additional documentation such as proof of source of funds. For transfers above roughly A$10,000, a specialist foreign-exchange broker will often beat an app on rate.

M-Pesa is how money moves in Kenya and only Remitly publishes it here — Western Union's Australian page for this corridor lists bank deposit and cash pickup only, exactly as its Canadian page does. If your recipient expects M-Pesa, that one fact settles the page. Remitly's offer here is a flat 15 AUD off a transfer of 100 AUD or more, which is unusual for this provider and worth more on a small transfer than any exchange-rate bump. Its promotional rate separately covers only the first 700 AUD. Wise carries no row here. Its Australian page for this corridor was not among those we could read, so treat its absence as unchecked rather than unavailable.