Overview
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Region | Africa |
| ISO 3166-1 | KE / KEN |
| Registry | Business Registration Service (BRS) |
| Last updated | 2026-05-04 |
Identifiers
Collect two identifiers from each business customer in Kenya and submit them as strings on the application body.| API field | Local name | Issuer |
|---|---|---|
businessInfo.taxId | KRA PIN | KRA (Kenya Revenue Authority) |
businessInfo.businessEntityId | Company number | BRS (Business Registration Service) |
Sector regulators
CBK · CMA · IRA
Legal structures
| Local name | Abbreviation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Private Limited Company | Ltd | Closely-held share-capital company with up to 50 members; shares are not publicly traded and transfer is restricted. The dominant SME and startup vehicle in Kenya. Equivalent to a US LLC. |
| Public Limited Company | PLC | Share-capital company with unlimited membership whose shares may be listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange; requires a minimum of 7 shareholders. Closest US equivalent: C-Corp. |
| Company Limited by Guarantee | CLG | Company with no share capital whose members guarantee a fixed contribution upon winding-up; used primarily by nonprofits, charities, and professional associations. Closest US equivalent: Nonprofit Corporation. |
| Limited Liability Partnership | LLP | Hybrid entity registered under the Partnerships Act 2012 with separate legal personality; all partners enjoy limited liability. Equivalent to a US LLP. |
| Limited Partnership | LP | Registered under the Partnerships Act 2012; requires at least one general partner with unlimited liability and at least one limited partner whose liability is capped at their capital contribution. Equivalent to a US LP. |
| General Partnership | GP | Two or more persons carrying on business together with joint unlimited liability, registered under the Partnerships Act 2012. Equivalent to a US General Partnership. |
| Sole Proprietorship | — | Single natural person trading under a registered business name; no separate legal entity and the owner bears unlimited personal liability. Equivalent to a US Sole Proprietorship. |
| Cooperative Society | — | Member-owned entity registered under the Co-operative Societies Act (Cap. 490) with separate legal personality and limited liability on members; requires a minimum of 10 members. Closest US equivalent: Cooperative. |
| Foreign Company (Branch) | — | Branch of a foreign-incorporated company registered with the Business Registration Service under the Companies Act 2015; not a separate legal entity — the parent company retains full liability. Closest US equivalent: Branch/Rep Office. |
How documents combine
For each evidence area, this table shows whether the listed documents are alternatives (any one of) or a bundle (all required). The artifact-by-artifact lookup follows below.| Evidence area | Documents needed |
|---|---|
| Legal Registration | Certificate of Incorporation |
| Constitutive Documents | Memorandum & Articles of Association |
| Tax Registration | KRA PIN Certificate |
| Operating Permit | Single Business Permit |
| Governance Records | CR 12 Form |
| Signing Authority | Board Resolution |
| Address | Any one of: Lease Agreement · Utility Bill · Bank Statement |
Documents to collect
The physical documents you’ll collect from your customer, with the evidence area each one proves. One document can prove multiple areas — for example, Brazil’s Cartão CNPJ covers both tax and business-registration proof, so it appears once with both areas listed.| Document | Proves |
|---|---|
| Certificate of Incorporation (BRS) | Legal Registration |
| Memorandum & Articles of Association | Constitutive Documents |
| KRA PIN Certificate | Tax Registration |
| Single Business Permit (county) | Operating Permit |
| CR 12 Form | Governance Records |
| Board Resolution | Signing Authority |
| Lease Agreement | Address |
| Utility Bill (≤90 days old) | Address |
| Bank Statement (≤90 days old) | Address |
| Sector-Specific License | CBK License, CMA License, IRA License |
Collection notes
- Address: Lease (no time bound) OR utility bill OR bank statement, with utility/bank dated within 90 days. The same document satisfies both registered-address and operating-address verification.
Person roles
When you submit a person on the application body, set theirrole to one of Conduit’s canonical BusinessPersonRole values. Use this table to map a local corporate-governance title onto the right canonical role.
| Local role | Canonical API role | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Director | CONTROLLING_PERSON | Board member. Minimum 1 for private, 2 for public. |
| Authorized Representative | LEGAL_REPRESENTATIVE | Person empowered to act on behalf of the company. |