Most "business ideas" lists give you fifty options and no numbers you can check. This one gives seven. Each has a start-up cost from a named source, an explanation of where the profit comes from, and the catch. Treat the figures as a starting point: prices change, and your own quotes are what count.
First, the costs every business has
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Business name registration | KSh 950 |
| Private limited company | KSh 10,650 |
| NSSF, if you employ someone (from February 2026) | 6% employer + 6% employee, on pay between KSh 9,000 and KSh 108,000; at most KSh 6,480 a month from the employer |
| SHA/SHIF health contribution | 2.75% of household income, minimum KSh 300 a month |
Figures from Business Daily's 2026 compliance cost roundup. On top come a county business permit and, for food, health and fire certificates. These vary by county, so ask your county before you sign a lease.
1. Selling online from your phone
Start-up cost: your stock. An online shop can cost nothing to set up, and Pochi la Biashara needs no paperwork.
Where the money comes from: the gap between your buying price and your selling price, without stall rent or daily county charges.
The catch: you take on delivery and buyer trust. Strangers pay a shop link with a proper checkout more readily than a stranger's personal number. Payment costs are small: a Buy Goods till is free for the merchant up to KSh 500 and 0.55% above that (since August 2026). See how to start an online store.
2. Mitumba (second-hand clothes)
Start-up cost: one bale. Gikomba traders quoted KSh 19,500 for ladies' tops, about KSh 25,000 for men's trousers and about KSh 17,000 for children's clothes in October 2025. A stall adds KSh 6,000–10,000 a month in rent and KSh 200–300 a day in county charges.
Where the money comes from: sorting a bale and selling the best pieces for many times their share of the bale price.
The catch: bales have risen 40–60% since 2023, and you can't see inside one before you pay. One trader's profit per bale fell from about KSh 7,000 to about KSh 2,000 after costs. Many traders now share bales, buy half-bales, or buy picked pieces instead. Full guide: selling clothes online.
3. Layer chickens (eggs)
Start-up cost: at least KSh 500,000 for 300 birds, according to a June 2026 breakdown in Bizna Kenya. That includes about KSh 55,000 for day-old chicks and about KSh 240,000 of feed over six months.
Where the money comes from: selling eggs every day, once the flock is laying.
The catch: feed is about 80% of production cost, according to the expert quoted, and you buy roughly six months of it before the flock is laying properly. If feed prices rise or a disease goes through the flock in that time, the money is gone before the first tray is sold.
4. Car wash
Start-up cost: KSh 300,000–600,000 for a small car wash, including a high-pressure washer, vacuum, water tanks and supplies (The Nairobi Tribune, September 2024). Ground rent was put at KSh 30,000–100,000 a month, and licences at KSh 20,000–50,000.
Where the money comes from: many cheap jobs a day. The same source put a basic exterior wash at KSh 300–500 for a small car, and a full wash at KSh 800–1,500.
The catch: location decides everything. The rent and water bill (KSh 10,000–30,000 a month in the same source) arrive whether cars come or not. Check how much water you can get, and what drainage rules apply, before you pay a deposit on a plot.
5. M-Pesa agency
Start-up cost: under Safaricom's published requirements (a document dated 2013 that is still on its site), a direct agent must be a limited company that has traded for at least six months, with at least three outlets and KSh 100,000 of float per outlet, deposited within a month of signing. Banks, supermarkets, petrol stations and similar "stand-alone" agents need one outlet and KSh 200,000.
Where the money comes from: commission on deposits and withdrawals.
The catch: float is money you can't spend, because it has to sit in the till all day. Anyone who can't meet the company and three-outlet rule usually runs an outlet under an existing agent company, on that company's terms.
6. Making your own products (soap, body butter, snacks)
Start-up cost: ingredients, packaging, and certification. For Kenyan-made products, KEBS lists Standardization Mark fees of KSh 10,000 inspection for small manufacturers, covering up to three products, plus KSh 10,000 for each extra product. The permit lasts two years, and KEBS says it can be issued in about eight weeks.
Where the money comes from: a margin you set, and repeat buyers once they trust the product.
The catch: you need a production site that passes inspection. Cosmetics carry extra rules: some need the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, and some ingredients are banned. See selling beauty products first.
7. Matatu
Start-up cost: a used, already-registered 14-seater bought locally at about KSh 400,000–600,000, plus KSh 200,000–500,000 to upgrade it. An imported 14-seater costs KSh 2.5–4 million, and a 33-seater about KSh 6.7 million. Sacco joining fees start at around KSh 5,000 registration plus KSh 10,000 share capital (Money254, 2025).
Where the money comes from: the daily target the crew pays you, which Money254 put at about KSh 2,000–3,500 for a 14-seater and KSh 10,000–15,000 for a 33-seater.
The catch: that daily amount comes before insurance (third-party KSh 20,000–200,000 a year), licences, parking, Sacco deductions and repairs. A day the vehicle spends in the garage earns nothing.
How to choose
- Start with what you can lose. If the full start-up cost would ruin you if it went wrong, test something smaller first: a half-bale, a small batch, or a few weeks of selling online.
- Count the months before income. Selling online and mitumba bring money in within days. Layers take months.
- Write down your margin per sale before you start, using the profit margin calculator. If you can't say what you make on one sale, you can't tell whether the business works.
Where Duka helps
Whichever idea you choose, a free Duka shop gives it a product page and one link for WhatsApp, TikTok and Instagram. Buyers pay by M-Pesa or card at checkout (1.5%), you can take orders on WhatsApp, and you can send parcels through Pickup Mtaani agents.