Kenyans living abroad are sending home far more money than official statistics had previously captured. A new survey estimates total remittance inflows reached Sh931.8 billion in the year to May 2025, with roughly Sh280 billion moving through channels that were not reflected in Central Bank records.
The 2025 Remittances Household Survey, the first of its kind in Kenya was conducted by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, the Central Bank of Kenya, and FSD Kenya. Its findings significantly exceed the Sh651.2 billion that the CBK recorded through formal channels such as banks and money transfer operators during the same period.
So where was the missing remittances? It moved through informal routes: cash handed to relatives during visits, goods sent through travellers, and other transfers that never passed through the formal financial system. As FSD Kenya Chief Executive Rashmi Pillai described it, the survey uncovered “the invisible 40 percent” hidden in these channels. Of the total remittances, Sh848.4 billion arrived as cash, while Sh83.5 billion came in-kind, in the form of goods rather than money.
For many households, these funds are less about wealth creation and more about meeting essential needs. The survey found that remittances were primarily used for:
The inflows also deepen financial inclusion, although participation remains concentrated in basic financial products. Among remittance receiving households the most commonly held financial products were: