Prices of Safaricom and Aritel Sim cards in Kenya

Since the other two networks Orange and YU Mobile are exiting the Kenyan market, there are only two giants left which are controlling the Kenyan mobile services market.

Safaricom which has always remained the biggest, has in recent times tried to lower their calling and data rates after Airtel introduced new products to go head to head with them.

As of October 2015 on the streets of Nairobi and other parts of the country, it will be difficult to purchase an Orange or YU line. But you can always find a Safaricom line in almost every corner of the city. The purchase price normally depends on the distance and area. For example, if you live in Mandera you are likely to buy the line at around Kshs. 200 while in Nairobi you can find one for Kshs. 100.

Many people consider lines with certain prefixes to be valuable than others. For instance, it will be more expensive to purchase a line which starts with 0722 than it is with 0700 or 0728.

Airtel lines are cheaper and usually retail at around Kshs. 50 and sometimes you can purchase one at Kshs. 20 depending on offers and locations.

Just like with Safaricom lines, The Airtel lines starting with 0733 are usually more expensive than the others since they are considered older and more 'respected' than the newer ones.