Gold rate today in Nairobi (KES)

Nairobi gold rate at a glance

The international price puts a gram of 24k gold in Nairobi at roughly 16,732 KES today, with 22k at about 15,338 KES. Per 10 grams, a common size for small bars and rate boards, that is about 167,318 KES for 24k. These are spot-based figures, before any tax, premium or making charge. Many Nairobi jewellers source stock from Dubai and India, so the local price reflects imported jewellery plus the shilling exchange rate.

What moves the gold price in Nairobi

Everything on a Nairobi rate board starts from the same place: the dollar price of gold (about $4,007.9 an ounce today) converted at the USD/KES rate of 129.85. The shilling floats and has had both sharp falls and strong recoveries against the dollar in recent years. When it weakens, the local gold price rises even if the international price is unchanged, so check both numbers before reading anything into a change.

The dollar price itself responds to US interest-rate expectations, the strength of the dollar, inflation data, central-bank buying and geopolitical risk. Our guide to what moves gold prices covers each in turn.

Premiums, making charges and tax in Nairobi

The shelf price in Nairobi is higher than the converted figure above. A shop adds import costs, the jeweller's margin and VAT where it applies. On jewellery, making charges are included in a per-gram or per-piece price that varies by design, so two pieces of the same weight and purity can carry very different prices. Jewellery is sold in 18k, 21k and 22k, with 24k mostly as bars and coins.

Where gold is bought in Nairobi

Jewellers in the central business district and in the malls of Westlands and Kilimani are the main places to buy. When comparing shops, ask for the gold rate per gram, the purity, the making charge and the buy-back price separately; that is the only way to see which offer is really cheaper.

Buying seasons in Nairobi

Weddings, Christmas, Eid and Diwali are the busiest periods. Across Kenya, demand is strongest around weddings, Eid on the coast and among Muslim communities, Diwali for the Asian community, and Christmas. Seasonal demand tends to show up in shop premiums, promotions and queues rather than in the international price, which is set by global flows. Knowing the calendar helps explain why a local quote can look expensive or cheap against this page in a given week.

Gold market hours in Nairobi

The international gold market trades almost around the clock on weekdays. In Nairobi the London–New York overlap, usually the busiest and most volatile part of the day, runs today from about 15:00–19:00 local time. The two LBMA Gold Price auctions in London, at 10:30 and 15:00 London time, fall at 12:30 and 17:00 in Nairobi, and major US data released at 08:30 New York time, such as payrolls and inflation, lands at 15:30 local time. The week's trading closes at 00:00 on Saturday and reopens at 02:00 on Monday, Nairobi time; over the weekend the price on this page is the last close. Kenya has artisanal gold mining in the west (around Kakamega and Migori), but retail prices still follow the international rate. Our gold market hours tool shows the sessions in any time zone.

Nairobi compared with Dubai

It is natural to compare Dubai with the price at home. On the converted spot price neither city is cheaper: Dubai quotes about 473.23 AED per gram of 24k, which is the same $128.86 per gram as Nairobi's 16,732 KES. What differs is what each market adds. In Nairobi that is import costs, the jeweller's margin and VAT where it applies; in Dubai it is 5% VAT on jewellery (investment bars of 99% purity or more are zero-rated), making charges and the shop's margin. Buying abroad also means paying an exchange margin and checking the customs allowance at home.

How this KES gold price is calculated

Three numbers decide everything on this page. First, the international gold price in US dollars per troy ounce: $4,007.9 at the last update. Second, the exchange rate: 1 USD = 129.85 KES. Third, the weight: one troy ounce is 31.1035 grams, and one tola is 11.6638 grams.

1. Price per gram in USD = $4,007.9 ÷ 31.1035 = $128.86.
2. Price per gram in KES = $128.86 × 129.85 = 16,732 KES (24k, pure gold).
3. Price per 10 grams = 16,732 × 10 = 167,318 KES.
4. For a lower purity, multiply by the fineness: 22k = 0.9167, 21k = 0.875, 18k = 0.750.

The gold price comes from COMEX gold futures, which track spot XAUUSD closely but are not identical to it. The exchange rate is a mid-market rate; the rate your bank or money changer gives you will be slightly different. If you want to do the maths yourself, our guide to converting the gold price per gram, tola and kilo walks through every step with worked examples.

What this price does not include

The figures above are the international spot price converted into local currency. They are the starting point for every retail price in Nairobi, but they are not the price you will pay or receive at a shop. The retail or "jeweller" price adds some or all of these on top:

• Import duty or customs charges, where the country imports most of its gold.
• Sales tax, GST or VAT, which may apply to jewellery, to bars and coins, or to both, depending on local law.
• Dealer premium: the margin a bullion dealer or bank adds to the spot price for bars and coins, usually larger on small pieces.
• Making charges (labour) on jewellery, often a percentage of the gold value or a fixed amount per gram.
• Local supply and demand, which can push the physical price to a premium or a discount against the international price for weeks at a time.

When you sell, the buyer usually quotes below the spot-based number and deducts for purity testing, wear and sometimes stones. The gap between the buying and the selling price is the real cost of owning physical gold, and it varies a lot between shops, so it is worth asking several.

Frequently asked questions