USD to KES Exchange Rate History — Kenya
This page charts the historical USD to Kenyan Shilling (KES) parallel — or "black market" — exchange rate in Kenya. As new readings are collected they appear in the chart and tables below, building a record of how the street price of the dollar has moved over time.
The Kenyan shilling is largely market-determined, so its parallel premium is usually narrower than in tightly controlled economies.
How to read the KES rate history
The chart plots the parallel buy rate — how many KES it took to buy one US dollar — at each point we recorded. The daily table below lists the closing buy and sell rate for each day, while the monthly table summarises the average, high and low for each month, which is useful for comparing one period with another.
A rising line means the Kenyan Shilling is losing value (more KES per dollar); a falling line means it is gaining.
What has moved the Kenyan Shilling recently?
In Kenya, the parallel rate is driven by factors such as seasonal dollar demand, import-cover pressure, regional remittance flows. When dollars become scarcer or confidence falls, the street rate climbs ahead of the official Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) rate; when supply improves or policy tightens, the gap can narrow again.
Because the parallel rate often moves before official devaluations, its history is a useful early-warning record — a steadily rising trend frequently precedes an official adjustment, while a long plateau suggests relative stability.
Using historical KES rates
Historical rates help with budgeting, invoicing, remittance planning and spotting trends, but they are not a forecast — past movements do not guarantee future ones. For the live rate, see our main USD to KES page, and use the converter for exact amounts.
All figures are aggregated from P2P platforms, community reports and market monitoring, then refreshed hourly. They are provided for information and price-transparency only and are not financial advice.