Kenya Survey Uncovers Sh280bn in Unrecorded Diaspora Support

A new official survey by Kenya’s statistics bureau, the central bank and FSD Kenya finds that Kenyans abroad send home far more than formal channels capture — roughly Sh280bn a year in informal cash and in-kind goods, lifting total inflows to about Sh931.8bn in the year to May 2025. The United States is the largest single source, at about 43.5 percent, and most support goes to food and household needs, followed by education and healthcare.

For the diaspora, the survey confirms what many already live: support from abroad is a backbone of household budgets, not a top-up. The practical implications are about cost and traceability — informal routes can be cheaper or faster but carry risk, and policymakers are weighing how to channel more of this flow into formal, lower-cost options and savings products.

Source: Kenya National Bureau of Statistics; Central Bank of Kenya; Business Daily.