Best Ways To Send Money From the UK to M-Pesa in Kenya

If you’re a Kenyan in the UK, you know how challenging it is to send money to your loved ones back home. You must deal with the hassle of changing pounds to Kenya shillings and then finding a third-party money transfer provider. Besides, not all providers let you directly send money to your loved one’s M-Pesa wallets and some charge exorbitant fees.

Fortunately, there are dozens of third-party services you can use to send money from the UK to Kenya via M-Pesa without breaking the bank when it comes to fees. And some don’t even charge transfer fees. You can compare the fees in real time using Monito’s live comparison engine below 👇

7 Ways to Send Money From the UK to Kenya via M-Pesa

To send money from the UK to someone in Kenya, you must use a third-party digital money transfer platform like Remitly, Western Union, WorldRemit, or MoneyGram. However, before you settle on one, consider factors like exchange rates and fees.

1. Western Union

You probably heard of Western Union even before you needed to remit any money. It’s the largest and oldest money transfer operator worldwide, and its online platform in the UK has been getting consistently cheaper and cheaper for sending money to Kenya. Today, Western Union is frequently the cheapest option of all on Monito for this corridor.

Like any other online remittance provider, you must have a Western Union account to transfer cash. The process is straightforward. You only need to create an account on their website or mobile app and fill in the transfer details, including the recipient’s name, country, and amount.

Next, use your debit/credit card or bank transfer to complete your transaction and share your tracking number with the recipient.

• Average cost from the UK to Kenya: 4%
• Transfer limit: 1,950 GBP

2. Remitly

Remitly was founded in 2012 to enable immigrants to send money to their loved ones. It’s one of the cheapest platforms to send money from the UK to a recipient in Kenya.

To wire funds using this Remitly, you must create an account and choose M-Pesa as your delivery provider. Next, enter the recipient’s name and address and your payment information. Afterwards, you and your recipient receive text updates on the transfer progress.

• Average cost: Free transfers 
• Transfer limits: £5,000 in 24 hours, £15,000 in 30 days, £50,000 in 180 days. These are the Tier 1 limits. You can increase your limit by upgrading to Tier 2. To do so, you’ll need to provide Remitly with additional information, including a photo of your national ID.

3. Skrill

Skrill is a mobile wallet that allows you to send money abroad fast and at low rates. The advantage of this app is that you don’t have to input your details every time you make a transaction. Your details are securely stored in your account.

You'll need to create an account if you don’t have one. Once your account is set up, enter the amount, recipient location, and send/receive currency. Choose your preferred payment delivery method, M-Pesa. Enter recipient details and review the transfer summary and confirm

Skill allows you to top up your account using a bank transfer or credit/debit card. Choose the payment method and complete the transaction. The recipient receives the money you send from the UK to their M-Pesa wallet in one hour.

• Average cost: 3.99% foreign exchange fee
• Transfer limits: KES 70,000 per transaction, KES 300,000 per day

4. WorldRemit

WorldRemit is a renowned online remittance provider based in the UK. It’s one of the best platforms to send money from the UK to Kenya via M-Pesa.

For starters, you need to create an account using your email address. Next, enter the amount you wish to send and choose the receive method. Thirdly, enter the recipient’s details and make the payment.

It is 41% cheaper to send money from the UK to a M-Pesa wallet when you use WordRemit than other platforms.

• Average cost: 2.2%
• Transfer limits: Ksh 150,000 per transaction

5. MoneyGram

MoneyGram is the second-largest money transfer operator in the world after Western Union. You can wire funds from the UK to a recipient in Kenya via M-Pesa.

You need to create an account to use MoneyGram. You should provide details like your name, address, phone number, country, and date of birth. You’ll be required to verify your identity when you transfer funds above a specific limit. 

You can begin the transaction by entering your country and preferred payment methods. Afterwards, enter the amount you wish to send and the recipient’s details and complete the transaction.

• Average cost: 2.6% transfer fee
• Transfer limits: KES 300,000 per day

6. Sendwave

Sendwave is another online remittance provider you can use to send money to Kenya from the UK. The platform is utilized by over 800K users worldwide. It offers fast international money transfers to mobile wallets like M-Pesa. 

To use Sendwave to send money from the UK to Kenya, sign up for free on their website or app. It’s important to note that you can only make transfers using the Sendwave app.

• Average cost: No transfer fees
• Transfer limits: £750 per day and £2,500 per month. You can increase the limits on the settings page to £2,500 per day and £10,000 per month.

7. Rewire

Rewire uses innovative technology to make cross-border money transfer more convenient and efficient. The company was founded in Israel in the year 2015.

Like other online remittance companies, you can send money to Kenya by creating an account. Once your account is up and running, you can initiate the transaction by entering the amount you wish to send and the recipient’s details. 

Finally, confirm and complete the transaction. The recipient in Kenya receives the money immediately after you send it.

• Average cost: 1% of the transaction amount for the first transfer. In some cases, the first two transfers are free.
• Transfer limits: Up to Ksh 300,000 per day

Final Thoughts

Technological advancement has made cross-border money transfers easy and convenient. Several online remittance providers like WordRemit, Remitly, Western Union, and MoneyGram have stepped in to reduce the conventional transaction fees involved in international money transfers.

If you want to send money from the UK to Kenya via M-Pesa, consider any of the above platforms. You need to compare the exchange rates on different platforms so that you send more money for less. The platforms have different amount limits. Make sure you look at these before you choose where to transact. 

Another factor to consider when choosing the site to use is fees. The transaction fees vary from site to site depending on the amount you wish to transact. Compare transaction fees on different platforms and choose the one that works for you.