Every time someone dials a USSD code in Kenya, a session is charged. Whether your customer or you pays that charge is one of the most important choices you make when you launch a USSD service, because it decides how many people use it. This guide explains USSD charges in Kenya in 2026: what a session costs on Safaricom and Airtel, who pays, and how to choose.
Short answer: on a pre-paid USSD code the network charges your customer KES 1 per session on Safaricom and KES 3 on Airtel from their airtime, plus a KES 0.25 infrastructure fee per session. On a post-paid code you pay instead, KES 1.25 to KES 1.50 per session on Safaricom, and your customers dial free. There is no deposit on either option. These are Brilio's rates at the time of writing; see the pricing page for current rates.
USSD charges vs the cost of the code
People often mix up two different costs:
| Cost | What it is | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| The code | A monthly fee to keep your code live (and a setup fee for a dedicated code) | You |
| Session charges | A small charge every time the code is used | Your customer (pre-paid) or you (post-paid) |
This guide is about the second line. For the first, see how much a USSD code costs in Kenya.
Pre-paid: your customer pays
On a pre-paid code the network deducts the session charge from the customer's airtime:
| Network | Charge to the customer | Brilio infrastructure fee |
|---|---|---|
| Safaricom | KES 1 per session | KES 0.25 per session |
| Airtel | KES 3 per session | KES 0.25 per session |
Good for: services customers actively want, such as loan balances, statements and payments, where a shilling per session is no barrier.
The catch: a customer with no airtime cannot use the service, and some people hesitate to dial a code that costs them money. Expect lower usage than a free code.
Post-paid: you pay, customers dial free
On a post-paid code your customers pay nothing. You pay per session, at a rate that falls as your volume grows:
| Network | Basic (KES 0 – 19,999) | Plus (KES 20,000 – 99,999) | Premium (KES 100,000 – 399,999) | Max (KES 400,000+) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Safaricom | KES 1.50 | KES 1.50 | KES 1.25 | KES 1.25 |
Good for: services you want people to use as much as possible: SACCO balances, loan applications, customer support, surveys, sign-ups and anything aimed at low-income customers.
There is no deposit for post-paid sessions.
Which should you choose?
| Pre-paid | Post-paid | |
|---|---|---|
| Who pays per session | Your customer, from airtime | You |
| Cost to you per session | KES 0.25 infrastructure fee | KES 1.25 – 1.50 (Safaricom) |
| Usage | Lower: customers think twice | Higher: free to dial |
| Works with no airtime | No | Yes |
| Best for | Balances, payments, high-value services | Sign-ups, support, surveys, mass-market services |
A worked example. A SACCO with 4,000 member sessions a month on Safaricom:
- Pre-paid: members pay KES 1 each from airtime; the SACCO pays 4,000 × KES 0.25 = KES 1,000 a month in session fees.
- Post-paid: members dial free; the SACCO pays 4,000 × KES 1.50 = KES 6,000 a month.
For about KES 5,000 more a month, every member uses the service free, which usually means more members use it.
How to keep session costs down
Session charges apply per session, so the goal is to let people finish in one session, quickly:
- Put the most-used option first. If 70% of dials are balance checks, make "Check balance" option 1.
- Keep menus short. Four or five options per screen, short words, no long instructions.
- Finish the task in one go. If a session times out halfway, the customer has to dial again, which is a second session.
- Reply fast. Slow servers make people give up. Aim to answer each step in well under two seconds.
- Send details by SMS. End the session with a short confirmation and send the full receipt or statement as an SMS instead of paging through it on USSD.
Here is how applying for a code works, start to finish:
Related guides: How much a USSD code costs in Kenya · How to apply for a USSD code · How to build a USSD menu
Frequently asked questions
How much does a USSD session cost in Kenya?
On a pre-paid code the customer pays KES 1 per session on Safaricom and KES 3 on Airtel from airtime, plus a KES 0.25 infrastructure fee per session. On a post-paid code the code owner pays KES 1.25 to KES 1.50 per session on Safaricom and the customer pays nothing.
Is USSD free to use in Kenya?
It depends on the code. Post-paid codes are free for the person dialling because the business pays. Pre-paid codes charge the person dialling from their airtime.
Who pays for USSD sessions, the business or the customer?
You choose when you set up the code. Pre-paid means the customer pays; post-paid means your business pays.
Is there a deposit for USSD sessions?
No. There is no deposit for pre-paid or post-paid sessions.
Is the session charge the same as the cost of the USSD code?
No. The code itself has a monthly fee (and a setup fee for a dedicated code). Session charges come on top, per session. See USSD code cost in Kenya for code prices.
Ready to launch? See USSD codes in Kenya or talk to us as your USSD provider.
