Start a Blog in Kenya for Under KSh 1,300: A Practical Guide

Why Blogging in Kenya Is Worth Your Time

Choose to start a blog in Kenya and you join one of the liveliest online scenes in Africa. Kenyan writers cover food, travel, fashion, politics, tech, money and much more, and a good number make serious money from it through advertising, sponsored articles and affiliate links.

Getting going is cheap. For about KSh 1,280 you can have a professional-looking blog online today.

The Four Things You Need

• A domain name, such as yourblogname.co.ke or a .com
• Web hosting, where the files of your blog are kept
• WordPress, the free software most blogs run on
• M-Pesa (or a card) to pay for the lot

Step 1: Pick a Name for Your Blog

Your domain is the address readers type to find you. Aim for one that is:

• Easy to type: leave out hyphens and numbers
• Clear about the subject: readers should guess what you write about
• Short enough to remember: nairobieats.co.ke is a good example

Writing mostly for Kenyans about Kenyan life? A .co.ke domain fits well. If you hope to reach readers abroad, a .com is the better pick.

Price: at SiteBoma a .co.ke domain is KSh 1,200 a year, cheaper while a promotion is on, and it renews at KSh 1,700.

Step 2: Choose Low-Cost Hosting

A new blog needs nothing more than a shared plan. SiteBoma's starter plan begins at just KSh 80/month and gives you:

• A free SSL certificate, so browsers show your blog as secure
• The DirectAdmin control panel
• A one-click WordPress installer
• Email addresses on your own domain (@yourblog.co.ke)
• Payment by M-Pesa or card

Step 3: Set Up WordPress With One Click

More than 40% of websites run on WordPress. It is free, flexible and kind to beginners.

On SiteBoma hosting the whole install takes roughly 2 minutes:

1. Sign in to DirectAdmin, your control panel
2. Open the installer, shown as "Softaculous" or "WordPress"
3. Choose "Install WordPress"
4. Type in the name of your blog and your admin details
5. Press Install, and that is it

Step 4: Add a Free Theme and Write Your First Post

WordPress has thousands of free themes. Three Kenyan bloggers like:

• Kadence: a modern look that is simple to adjust
• Astra: light and quick, a good match for news or magazine blogs
• OceanWP: flexible enough for any subject

What It All Adds Up To

Get Your Blog Online Today

A professional Kenyan blog needs about KSh 1,280 to get off the ground. Look up a domain name for your blog and have it live today, paid by M-Pesa and switched on straight away.