🇨🇳 CNY to 🇰🇪 KES — Chinese Yuan (RMB) to Kenyan Shilling Rate Today
Live indicative interbank rate, June 2026. Updated daily at 01:00 UTC.
Convert Chinese Yuan to Kenyan Shilling using the live indicative interbank rate and the converter below. Covers the cost of sending to Kenya via the major mobile money apps.
Currency converter
CNY → KES conversion table
| CNY | KES |
|---|---|
| 1 | 19.14 |
| 5 | 95.70 |
| 10 | 191.40 |
| 20 | 382.80 |
| 50 | 957.00 |
| 100 | 1,914.00 |
| 200 | 3,828.00 |
| 500 | 9,570.00 |
| 1,000 | 19,140.00 |
| 2,000 | 38,280.00 |
| 5,000 | 95,700.00 |
| 10,000 | 191,400.00 |
Table computed at the indicative rate of 1 CNY = 19.14 KES. Real operator-side values include a 1%-4% spread.
About the Chinese Yuan
The Chinese Yuan (CNY, ¥) is the unit of the broader Renminbi currency system, issued by the People's Bank of China since 1948. The two names sometimes confuse newcomers: Renminbi (literally "people's currency") refers to the currency as a system, while yuan is the unit in which prices are quoted — both terms describe the same money. Two ISO codes circulate: CNY for the onshore mainland-traded yuan and CNH for the offshore yuan traded primarily in Hong Kong, which sometimes diverges modestly from the onshore rate. The PBOC operates a managed-float regime: a daily mid-point is set against the dollar and the market is permitted to trade within a roughly 2% band around it. For Africa, the yuan has become one of the most strategically important non-G3 currencies. China-Africa bilateral trade reached approximately $348 billion in 2025, up around 17% year-on-year, with Nigeria, South Africa, Angola, Egypt and Kenya as the largest counterparties. In April 2026, Ecobank confirmed negotiations with the Bank of China to launch direct local-currency-to-yuan settlement across its 35 African markets, signalling a structural move away from US-dollar intermediation for African importers paying Chinese suppliers. Note that the ¥ symbol is shared with the Japanese yen — context matters when reading a number.
About the Kenyan Shilling
The Kenyan Shilling (KES, KSh) is the official currency of Kenya, issued by the Central Bank of Kenya. Subdivided into 100 cents, the Shilling is one of East Africa's most-traded currencies and the de facto settlement unit for many cross-border flows in the EAC region. Kenya's outsized digital-payments ecosystem — anchored by Safaricom's M-Pesa, which clears a transaction volume equivalent to a substantial share of Kenyan GDP each year — means the KES is among the most active African currencies for mobile-money rails. The Central Bank of Kenya runs a managed-float regime with periodic interventions to smooth volatility, and the Shilling has generally tracked broader sub-Saharan currency trends against the USD. For inbound USD remittances to M-Pesa, formal-channel rates typically sit within 1%-2% of the interbank reference.
How to send Chinese Yuan to Kenya
For transfers from China to Kenya, the competitive options in 2026 are mobile-first remitters (Sendwave, LemFi, TapTap Send, Lemonade Finance), aggregators (Wise, WorldRemit, Remitly) and direct operator rails (MTN MoMo, Orange Money, M-Pesa Global). All-in cost depends on amount, receiving wallet and day. Compare options side by side on our Kenya inbound corridor page.
See the Kenya inbound corridor comparison →Kenya is a strategic node in China's Belt and Road Initiative — the Standard Gauge Railway from Mombasa to Nairobi, financed and built by China Road and Bridge Corporation, is the largest single Chinese infrastructure project on the African continent. Kenya-China bilateral trade reached approximately $8 billion in 2025. Unlike Nigeria or Ghana, the Kenyan shilling has maintained relative stability against major currencies under the Central Bank of Kenya's managed-float regime, which makes the CNY/KES rate one of the more predictable African-Chinese pairs for importers planning forward orders and quarterly procurement budgets.
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FAQ
What is the CNY/KES exchange rate today?
How much is 100 CNY in KES?
What's the best way to send Chinese Yuan to Kenya?
Is the Kenyan Shilling a stable currency?
Why is the rate I see on my mobile money operator different?
Rates shown on this page are indicative interbank reference rates updated daily. Operator send rates typically include a 1%-4% spread above this reference, which covers FX hedging cost, settlement risk and commercial margin. For exact send rates via M-Pesa, MTN MoMo, Sendwave, LemFi, WorldRemit, Wise or TapTap Send to Kenya, see the inbound corridor comparison.