What it costs
| Size / type | Typical price | Range | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|
| panel kit 40-80W | KSh 11,500 | 8,549 – 30,999 | 16 |
| panel kit 100-150W | KSh 10,749 | 7,979 – 39,999 | 74 |
| panel kit 200-350W | KSh 17,624 | 6,500 – 54,500 | 94 |
| panel kit 400-675W | KSh 26,000 | 10,449 – 89,250 | 72 |
| 1-1.5kVA system | KSh 75,950 | 37,500 – 128,000 | 30 |
| 3-3.6kVA system | KSh 175,500 | 14,999 – 390,000 | 31 |
| 5-6kVA system | KSh 300,920 | 149,000 – 950,000 | 31 |
| 8-12kVA system | KSh 440,000 | 283,050 – 920,000 | 7 |
| small home lighting kits / lantern kits | KSh 3,350 | 2,200 – 14,999 | 25 |
Panel kits are small DC or inverter kits sold as a bundle. kVA systems usually list the inverter, battery and panels; installation is often extra. Prices from listings on Kenyan shops and marketplaces, checked October 2026. Listings with impossible specs are left out.
What a home solar system costs in Kenya
From the listings we checked, these are the typical prices:
- Small panel kits (a panel, battery and lights, sometimes a small inverter): about KSh 10,700 for a 100–150W kit and about KSh 17,600 for a 200–350W kit.
- 1–1.5kVA systems: about KSh 76,000, for lights, TV, laptops and a small fridge.
- 3–3.6kVA systems: about KSh 175,500, the common size for a family home.
- 5–6kVA systems: about KSh 301,000, for larger homes with more appliances.
- 8–12kVA systems: about KSh 440,000, from only a handful of listings.
Sun King's own site lists installed PowerHub home systems, from 2kW to 5kVA, at upfront prices from about KSh 230,000 to KSh 354,500, with installation included per its pages. See solar system prices for each size in detail.
Small solar kits for lights and phone charging
Not every home needs an inverter. For lights, phone charging, a radio and sometimes a small DC TV, a plug-and-play solar kit is enough.
From the listings we checked, small lighting and lantern kits typically cost about KSh 3,400, and kits with a 40–80W panel about KSh 11,500. Sun King's own site lists its HomePlus range at cash prices from about KSh 8,000 to KSh 20,000, with pay-as-you-go plans that cost more in total. These kits cannot run sockets or a normal fridge; for that you need an inverter system.
What is in a full solar kit for a home
A solar PV system for a house has five parts:
- Panels on the roof or a frame, which make DC power.
- An inverter, which turns DC into 240V AC for your sockets. A hybrid inverter also charges the batteries and switches between solar, battery and KPLC.
- A charge controller, often built into the inverter.
- Batteries, lead-acid or lithium, to store power for the evening and outages.
- Balance of system: mounting rails, DC and AC cables, breakers, surge protection and earthing.
A cheap "full kit" often saves money on the last item, which is the part that keeps the system safe. Ask what is included before you compare prices. Our marketplace check found many bundled kits priced below the sum of reputable components, which usually means weaker parts somewhere.
How to size solar power for your home
Start with what you use, not with a kVA number.
- Check your KPLC bill. Divide the monthly kWh by 30 to get your daily use. A home using 150 kWh a month uses about 5 kWh a day.
- Decide what solar should cover. Everything, only the evening, or only backup during outages.
- List the heavy loads. An electric shower, kettle, iron, cooker or borehole pump needs a bigger inverter, or should stay on KPLC.
- Size the battery for the hours you need at night.
- Size the panels to refill the battery and run the day's loads.
Our solar calculator does this for you as a first estimate. A good installer will then check your roof, your wiring and your loads before quoting.
Off-grid, hybrid or grid-tied: which suits your house?
- Off-grid: no KPLC connection at all. Common in rural homes and farms. Needs enough battery for every night and cloudy day.
- Hybrid: panels, batteries and KPLC together. The most popular choice in towns, because it cuts the bill and covers outages.
- Grid-tied: panels with no battery, feeding the house during the day. Cheapest per kWh, but it gives no power during a KPLC outage.
Our guide to types of solar systems explains each in more detail.
Buying a solar system for home in Kenya: kit or installer?
A boxed kit from a marketplace is fine for a few lights and phone charging. For anything that runs your sockets, a licensed installer is the safer route. The installer matches parts that work together, sizes cables and breakers properly and earths the system.
Kenya's solar regulations require solar PV installations to be done by an EPRA-licensed contractor. Look for a C1 or V1 licence; our solar installation guide explains what each class can do. If paying in full is hard, pay-as-you-go solar lets you pay in instalments.