Selling tickets online saves you from counting cash at the gate and tells you early how many people are coming. But each platform takes a share of every ticket, and some hold your money until the event is over. Before you pick one, check three things: the fee, when you get paid, and how tickets are checked at the door.
What Kenyan ticketing platforms publish about fees and payouts
These are the figures each platform publishes on its own pricing page, features page or terms, read on 10 November 2026. Where a platform does not publish a figure, the table says so. We have not guessed any numbers.
| Platform | Fee to the organiser (as published) | When you get paid (as published) |
|---|---|---|
| Ticketsasa (a Pesapal product) | 10% per transaction. No sign-up, monthly or buyer fees | Not published |
| Mookh | 6% commission on every ticket sold. No monthly or setup fees. Free events are free | Offers "early withdrawals" of ticket money. Timing not published |
| HustleSasa | Pricing page: 5.8% storefront service fee, 6.9% marketplace commission. Withdrawals: KSh 100 to mobile money, KSh 500 to a bank. Its terms say 5% and KSh 100 (see below) | Pricing page: "24-hour pay-outs". Terms: event organisers can withdraw only up to 30% of sales before the event day |
| Madfun | Not published | "Same-day mobile money payouts". Money "clears to your wallet after the doors close" |
| Quicket (Ticketmaster, in Kenya since August 2026) | Kenya rates not published on a page we could read. Its terms say fees are usually a percentage plus a fixed fee per ticket, and the organiser decides who pays them | Not published |
| Tikiti, TikoHub, Ticket Yetu | Not published | Not published |
| Eventbrite | Kenya is not on Eventbrite's list of payout countries for its own payment processing, so a Kenyan organiser would use PayPal. No M-Pesa | Depends on PayPal |
Notes on the table:
- HustleSasa's two pages disagree. The pricing page says 5.8% for a storefront. The terms of service, last updated January 2025, say 5% on all online transactions. Ask which applies to you before you set prices.
- Mookh says its fees "may be exclusive of applicable taxes (such as VAT)", which it may add. Ask whether the 6% includes VAT.
- "Not published" does not mean free. Ask for the rate in writing and the payout date before you start selling.
What the fee means on a real event
An example: you sell 200 tickets at KSh 1,000 each, so buyers pay KSh 200,000 in total.
| Platform rate | Platform keeps | You receive (before any VAT added on the fee) |
|---|---|---|
| 10% (Ticketsasa) | KSh 20,000 | KSh 180,000 |
| 6% (Mookh) | KSh 12,000 | KSh 188,000 |
| 5.8% (HustleSasa storefront) | KSh 11,600 | KSh 188,400, minus KSh 100 per M-Pesa withdrawal |
| 1.5% payment fee only (Duka) | KSh 3,000 | KSh 197,000 |
The gap grows with your sales. If you run events every month, that difference adds up. In Nairobi, a concert may also owe the county 5% of ticket sales, whichever platform you use (see the law section below).
When you get paid matters as much as the fee
Most of your costs come before the event: the venue deposit, sound, the artist's deposit, posters and adverts. If the platform holds your ticket money until after the event, you pay those costs from your own pocket first.
Read the payout rules, not just the fee. HustleSasa's terms let event organisers withdraw only up to 30% of sales before the event day, so the rest can be refunded if the event is cancelled or postponed. Madfun says money clears after the doors close. If a platform does not say when you get paid, ask before you list your event.
Selling with just your M-Pesa till
Some organisers skip platforms and ask buyers to pay a till or Pochi la Biashara, then send a screenshot on WhatsApp. It is cheap. Since 7 August 2026, a Buy Goods till costs the business nothing on payments up to KSh 500 and 0.55% above that, capped at KSh 200. Check any amount with the M-Pesa charges calculator.
The problem is everything else. You match each payment to a name by hand, you cannot stop selling when you are full, screenshots can be faked, and at the gate you are scrolling through a list. It works for a small event where you know most of the guests. Above that, you need real tickets. See till vs Pochi vs Paybill for how each one works.
Setting up ticket types
Whatever you use, plan your ticket types before you start selling:
- Early bird: a lower price with a fixed number of tickets or an end date. This brings in money early.
- Regular: the main price.
- VIP or table: a higher price for seats, a table or a separate area.
- Group: let one buyer pay for several tickets in one order.
- Free tickets: still issue a ticket, so you know how many people to expect.
Set a number available for each type, so you never sell more than the venue holds.
The law: permits, music and tax
Nairobi: entertainment tax and noise permits
The Nairobi City County Finance Act, 2026 (gazetted 4 August 2026) added two schedules that affect event organisers. These figures are from the Act itself.
"Tourism Levy and Entertainment Tax" (selected lines):
| Activity | Charge |
|---|---|
| Concerts | 5% of ticket sales, per event |
| Live performance, local | KSh 10,000 per event |
| Live performance, international | KSh 20,000 per event |
| Corporate event | KSh 8,000 per event |
| Online entertainment event | KSh 15,000 per event |
| Influencer monetised event | KSh 10,000 per event |
| Professional sports event | 5% of ticket sales, per event |
| Application fee | KSh 5,000 |
Noise permits:
| Permit | Fee |
|---|---|
| Short-term noise permit for a night event | KSh 100,000 per event |
| Wedding in a residential area | KSh 20,000 |
| Garden wedding | KSh 10,000 |
| Operating without a required permit | Three times the permit fee |
A 5% county charge on a concert's ticket sales is more than most platforms' fees, so put it in your budget. The Act lists the charges but does not explain how the county collects them. Ask Nairobi City County which lines apply to your event and how to pay, before you sell.
Clubs, private event gardens and open-air event grounds pay their own yearly county licences. If you hire a venue, ask the owner in writing what their licences cover and what you must get yourself.
Outside Nairobi, each county sets its own charges. The Constitution lets counties charge entertainment taxes. Ask your county revenue office before you sell tickets. Your business itself also needs a county permit; see the single business permit guide.
Music licences
If your event plays recorded or live music, you need a music licence. The Copyright tariffs for 2026 to 2028 (Legal Notice No. 4 of 2026, in force from 1 January 2026) set:
| Use | Fee |
|---|---|
| Paying concert | KSh 50,000 per event |
| International concert | KSh 100,000 per event |
| Mobile DJ | KSh 30,000 a year, or KSh 1,000 per event |
According to Khusoko, one joint licence now covers all the collecting societies, so you make one payment.
Which bodies collect is a point where sources differ. Parliament's committee report on these tariffs names KAMP and PAVRISK as the licensed collecting societies and says MCSK's licensing role "has been consolidated under KAMP". Khusoko's April 2026 article still lists MCSK for authors and composers. Before you pay anyone, check the current list of licensed collecting societies with the Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO), and get an official receipt.
Tax on ticket money
Ticket sales are business income. KRA's turnover tax is 1.5% of gross sales for businesses selling between KSh 1 million and KSh 25 million a year. If your taxable sales reach KSh 5 million in a year, you must register for VAT. Keep a record of every event's sales and costs. A platform's sales report helps here.
Running the gate
Most problems on the night happen at the entrance. Plan it like this:
- One code per ticket, not per order. If one person buys five tickets, each guest needs their own code, so the group can arrive separately.
- Each code should work once. A screenshot shared on WhatsApp should fail the second time it is scanned.
- Test your scanner before the doors open. Try it on a real ticket, with the light at the venue, on the phone you will use.
- Have a backup. If the camera fails, staff should be able to type the code. Keep phones charged and carry a power bank.
- Use more than one entrance line for big events. One for guests with tickets, one for anyone buying at the door.
- Tell buyers what to bring. Send the ticket again the day before, with the time, the venue and a map pin.
Refunds and cancellations
Decide your refund policy before you sell, and put it on the event page. Platforms leave this to the organiser: Mookh, TikoHub and Ticket Yetu all say refunds follow the organiser's policy, and booking or service fees may not be refunded. If you postpone, tell buyers whether their tickets carry over to the new date.
Where duka.bio helps
Every Duka shop can sell event tickets, on every plan including Free. See events on duka.bio.
- Ticket types: each with its own price, number available and sales end date. Up to 10 tickets per order. Free events work too.
- Payment: buyers pay by M-Pesa. The money goes to your M-Pesa number, till or bank two days after payment. Weekend payouts arrive on Monday. The fee is 1.5% for payment. Duka takes no cut of ticket sales.
- The gate: one QR code per ticket, sent on your WhatsApp when it is connected. Each code works once. Scan with a phone camera (Chrome on Android), or type the code on any phone.
- Online events: buyers get the link only once they have paid.
Duka does not have seat maps or promoter codes, and refunds are done by hand. If you need those, one of the platforms above may suit you better. For a common setup of ticket types, a QR code at the door and money on your M-Pesa two days later, it keeps more of each ticket. For more on the 1.5% fee, see Paystack Kenya pricing explained.