Sending money to Kenya from Canada Send it home safely, and see what it really costs.

1. What it really costs

The price of a transfer has two parts:

• The fee you see when you pay.
• The exchange rate. A company with a low or zero fee can still give you fewer shillings per dollar.

So compare what actually arrives: get a quote from two or three companies for the same amount, on the same day, and look at how many shillings your family receives. Also ask:

• how fast it arrives (faster often costs more);
• whether the rate is locked in when you pay;
• whether your family pays anything to collect it.

Source: Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, "Sending money to someone in another country"

2. Check the company is registered

Companies that move money for you in Canada must register with the Bank of Canada.

• Before you use one, search its name on the Bank of Canada register of payment service providers. "Registered" is what you want to see.
• Money services businesses also register with FINTRAC, Canada's anti-money-laundering agency, which keeps its own public register.

Being registered isn't a seal of approval: FINTRAC says registration "does not indicate that FINTRAC endorses or licenses the business". It does mean the company is known to the government and has to follow its rules.

Source: Bank of Canada, payment service provider registry (checked October 25, 2026)

3. Companies that send from Canada to Kenya

In A to Z order. We only list companies the Bank of Canada register shows as registered. This list is not complete and is not a ranking. Register status and delivery options are what each source said on October 25, 2026.

Sending money for rent, land or a business in Kenya? See Kenyan tax from Canada for the KRA PIN and reporting rules.

Sending a parcel or a barrel is a different job from sending money: Shipping to Kenya. Keeping the Safaricom line that receives M-Pesa, or calling a landline at home: Calling Kenya.

Banks and credit unions also send money abroad, usually by wire transfer to a Kenyan bank account. Ask your branch for the full cost.

Use a company we haven't listed? Tell us through Share and we'll check it and add it.

4. Compare before you send

The World Bank checks what it costs to send money from Canada to Kenya with different companies, including the exchange-rate margin, and publishes the results: Remittance Prices Worldwide, Canada to Kenya. Use it to see which companies are usually cheaper, then get a live quote from them.

5. How other communities do it

We looked at how other diaspora communities guide their members. None of the community groups we found publishes its own list of recommended companies; they point people to neutral government advice instead, which is what this page does. Two lessons travel well:

• Use a registered company that asks for your ID, even for small amounts. Somali-American families learned this the hard way when banks closed the accounts of small money-transfer operators.
• Compare the amount that arrives, not the fee. Canada's Financial Consumer Agency warns that a low fee can come with a poor exchange rate.

Sources: FCAC; FINTRAC; NPR (2014)

6. Stay safe

• Only send through the company's own app or website. Type the address yourself rather than following a link in an email or text; fake copies of money transfer sites have been used to target Kenyans abroad.
• If someone messages you on WhatsApp, Facebook or by text offering a "better rate" or to send money for you, don't send them anything.
• Never send money to someone you've only met online, or to pay a "fee" to release a prize, a loan, a job or an immigration document.
• Double-check the M-Pesa number or bank account before you press send. A transfer to the wrong number is hard to get back.
• Be careful with "agents" who offer to send money for you for cash. Use a registered company in your own name.

Source: Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre

7. If something goes wrong

• Keep your receipt and transaction number. You'll need them to trace the money.
• Contact the company first and make a complaint in writing.
• If you've been scammed, report it to the police and to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (1-888-495-8501).

Source: Financial Consumer Agency of Canada

Questions people ask

How do I send money to M-Pesa from Canada?

Use a money transfer company registered with the Bank of Canada that delivers to M-Pesa. On October 25, 2026, LemFi, Remitly, Sendwave, Taptap Send, Wise and WorldRemit all said they send to M-Pesa in Kenya. Compare how many shillings arrive, and double-check the phone number before you send.

Which company is cheapest for sending money to Kenya?

It changes from day to day and depends on the amount. Get a quote from two or three companies for the same amount on the same day, and compare how many shillings arrive after all fees.

How do I know a money transfer company is legitimate?

Look it up on the Bank of Canada's register of payment service providers. A company that sends money for you in Canada has to be registered there.

Does Wakenyatbay recommend or earn money from any of these companies?

No. The list is in A to Z order, it is not an endorsement, and no company pays us or gives us referral money.

Wakenyatbay is a volunteer community group. We don't hold, move or invest money, and we don't accept payment or referral fees from any company on this page. If you run a listed company and something here is out of date, tell us.

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