Kenyans are still paying significantly higher rates to call some African countries than markets outside the continent, such as the United States and India, due to gaps in the implementation of regional telecom pricing reforms.
Latest data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows that the average cost of calling Somalia stood at Sh78.33 per minute in 2025, the highest among destinations surveyed, followed by Burundi at Sh71.00.
The two countries rank among the most expensive globally, with rates comparable to Italy (Sh83.33), Switzerland (Sh76.67) and the UK (Sh58.33).
In contrast, calls to the US cost an average of Sh5.33 per minute, while India and China stood at Sh7.00 and Sh8.33 respectively, making them among the cheapest destinations for Kenyan callers.
Within East Africa, calling Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan costs about Sh13.33 per minute, while Tanzania stands at Sh14.33, which is less than a quarter of the cost of calling Burundi despite being a member of the East African Community (EAC).
The differences highlight uneven implementation of the One Network Area (ONA), an agreement formed in October 2014 to reduce roaming charges and harmonise tariffs across the region, boosting business in the region.
While Burundi joined the ONA in August 2024, the expected reduction in tariffs has not been fully realised because of irregular adoption among local mobile network operators, according to the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA).
“Only about three mobile operators in Burundi have adopted it, which means calling the country, on average, is still very expensive,” an official at the regulator told the Business Daily by phone.
KNBS data shows that the rates of calling from Kenya to Burundi have only slightly declined from Sh71.67 per minute in 2024.
Under the ONA framework, partner states are required to cap retail call charges at $0.10 (about Sh13) per minute and reduce wholesale tariffs between operators. The initiative also removes charges for receiving calls while roaming within participating countries.
Somalia became the eighth EAC partner state in March 2024 but still has the highest call rates from Kenya. The country is yet to join the ONA arrangement; last year, Somalia's National Communications Authority conducted consultations with telecom operators on a roadmap for joining the framework.
The DR Congo is not part of the agreement.
Industry players attribute the high costs to differences in tax regimes, incomplete tariff harmonisation and the complexity of inter-operator agreements that determine the cost of routing calls across networks.
Data from Kenya’s communications regulator for the three months to December 2025 shows Uganda accounted for the largest share of Kenya’s outbound roaming traffic within the region at 2.6 million minutes, followed by Tanzania at 742,178 minutes and South Sudan at 455,552 minutes.
The DR Congo had 10,355 minutes while Burundi recorded just 467 minutes, reflecting the impact of high tariffs on usage.
