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Starting a Business16 October 2026 6 min read
How to Start a Business in Nairobi: Permits, Location and Getting Your First Customers
Nairobi has the most customers in Kenya and the most competition. Here's how to register, get the Unified Business Permit on NairobiPay, choose a location, and win your first customers.
Nairobi is Kenya's biggest market, and its most competitive. The legal steps are the same as anywhere in Kenya, but the permit system, rents and customer expectations are distinctly Nairobi.
The legal steps
- Register a business name or company on eCitizen
- Apply for the Unified Business Permit on the county's NairobiPay portal. Payments are cashless, and the amount depends on your activity, size and location under the county's 2026 Finance Act
- Get any sector licences: public health for food, fire safety certificates and so on
- Register for eTIMS, and get a Lipa na M-Pesa till
Choosing a location
- CBD and Westlands: high foot traffic and high rent. Best for walk-in retail and offices that clients visit
- Estates like Rongai, Kitengela, Ruaka, Syokimau and Kasarani: lower rent and loyal neighbourhood customers
- Online-first from home: test demand before taking on rent
Getting your first customers in Nairobi
- Claim your Google Business Profile so you show on Maps for '... near me' searches in your area
- Post in your estate's WhatsApp and Facebook groups where the rules allow
- Use TikTok with your estate's name in captions, because Nairobians search hyper-locally
- Offer something competitors don't: delivery, faster service, M-Pesa on delivery, after-hours
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Antony Mungai
Founder, Steff Cloud — building websites, systems and automation for Kenyan businesses from Nakuru.