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ContactContact us via chat or emailRegister the .ac.ke Domain for Your Institution
Establish instant academic credibility for your university, TVET institute, or tertiary college. Secure student trust and enable local SEO search presence.
.ac.ke Domain Pricing
You pay exactly what you see. We do not charge setup fees or add hidden administration costs.
New Registration
Enter your institution name above to check availability.
Once paid, submit your signed authorization letter and our compliance team will route it to KeNIC.
- Fast submission to KeNIC
- Free DNS management suite
Annual Renewal
Renew your domain annually before the expiry date to keep your educational portal online.
You can configure auto-renewals in your client area.
- Renew for up to 10 years
- Automatic renewal warnings
Transfer In
Migrate your existing academic domain to Truehost.
Transfers include a one-year renewal added to your registration term at no extra cost.
- Free 1-year renewal extension
- Zero database downtime
What is .ac.ke Domain
The .ac.ke domain is the official country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) extension reserved exclusively for tertiary academic institutions in Kenya.
Unlike open extensions, it cannot be registered by individuals or general commercial entities, making it a secure trust signal for higher education.
KeNIC administers the registry under strict eligibility guidelines, ensuring that only verified universities, polytechnics, TVET colleges, and research bodies can hold these addresses.
- Restricted Namespace. Registry audit checks block unaccredited or non-educational registrations.
- Academic Trust. Students, parents, and administrative partners recognize the official institutional domain.
- High Availability. The restricted nature of `.ac.ke` ensures that short, relevant name matches remain available.
.KE Registry Market Share Breakdown
.ac.ke Domains
1,486 Active Domains (1.2% Share)
Other .KE Extensions
125,846 Active Domains (98.8% Share)
Your .ac.ke Domain is Step One. Here’s What Comes Next.
A domain name is the address. You still need secure email, reliable hosting, and a professional website. Truehost provides all of it on your terms.
.ac.ke Domain Requirements
To register an academic domain, you’ll need accreditation credentials and an official request letter.
Upload these documents in your Truehost client area after checkout and our compliance team will submit them for registry verification.
- Accreditation Certificate. Provide a scan of your official registration or licensing certificate from TVETA, CUE (charter), or Ministry of Education.
- Official Request Letter. Signed and stamped request letter on the institution’s official letterhead by the VC, Principal, CEO, or Registrar.
- Official Admin Email. Use an active email domain belonging to the institution to act as the primary administrative contact point.
.AC.KE Quick Facts
Launch Your .ac.ke Site Free for 1 Year
Truehost is committed to bringing Kenyan academic projects and student initiatives online. Register your .ac.ke domain today and get our basic hosting plan free for the first 12 months.
Free Web Hosting with Every .ac.ke Domain
Perfect for student portfolios, department clubs, research projects, or testing campus portal ideas. Our Webhosting Lite FREE plan is bundled with every .ac.ke domain registration. Hosted on cPanel, powered by SSD, and includes automated SSL. No renewal fee — only your domain renews each year.
Standard domain renewal at KSh 1,500 / yr. Free hosting requires domain active at Truehost.
Register Domain & Claim HostingWho Uses .ac.ke?
KeNIC defines exactly which academic institutions qualify. Check yours below. If your category matches, you are eligible to register today.
Accredited Universities
Public and private universities operating in Kenya under CUE charter licensing.
Example: university.ac.keTVET Colleges & Polytechnics
Technical training institutes, polytechnics, and vocational colleges registered by TVETA.
Example: polytechnic.ac.keTheological Colleges & Seminaries
Faith-based seminaries and Bible training centers registered by the Ministry of Education.
Example: seminary.ac.keResearch Councils & Centers
Scientific research institutions, think-tanks, and state academic councils.
Example: research.ac.keKenya’s Leading Universities Already Run on .ac.ke
From public institutions to private campuses, the country’s largest higher education systems all use this extension.
Your institution belongs in that list.
Six Free Tools Included with Every .ac.ke Registration
We don’t lock domain management behind extra fees. Every .ac.ke domain comes with a full suite of tools from day one.
DNS Management
Full control over your records. Add or modify A, MX, CNAME, TXT, and SRV records from your dashboard client portal.
Free Email Forwarding
Redirect incoming emails from your official domain to your personal or department inbox at no extra cost.
Registrar Lock
Prevent unauthorized domain transfers. Keep your nameservers locked and prevent accidental or malicious hijacking.
URL Forwarding
Easily forward visitors to your main corporate website or direct them to social media business pages at no extra cost.
Custom Nameservers
Create branded nameservers (e.g. ns1.yourbrand.ac.ke) using our private nameservers service. Increase professional authority.
Nairobi-Based Support
Get fast support from experts based in Nairobi.
Available 24/7/365 via phone call, live chat, or email tickets.
Your .ac.ke Portal Ranks Higher for Kenyan Searches than a .com Site
Google gives country-code domains a built-in local relevance boost. A .ac.ke portal starts ranking for local educational queries from day one.
A generic .com or .edu has to build that authority over years. Look at the difference below.
Academic Trust & Local Ranks
When students search for local courses, Google prioritizes country-code academic extensions to filter out global affiliate spam.
A .ac.ke domain triggers Google’s local algorithmic boost, securing top-tier rankings and higher click-through rates from local admissions seekers.
.ac.ke Domain vs. Other Extensions
Compare the extensions below to ensure you register the correct address for your institution type.
.ac.ke vs .ke
RESTRICTED VS OPENBoth are Kenyan extensions but their registration rules and purposes differ completely.
.ac.ke vs .co.ke
ACADEMIC VS COMMERCIALOne is for accredited education. One is for commerce. If you host a college on .co.ke, you miss the official verification shield.
Alternatives to .ac.ke Domains
Not all educational projects belong on .ac.ke.
Depending on your institution’s registration status, target scope, or structure, these are the standard alternatives.
For commercial training centers, private schools, tutoring networks, and educational consultancies.
Ideal for short-form campaign landing pages, student-run research blogs, or custom alumni portals.
For university trusts, student unions, charitable foundations, and alumni welfare associations.
For international campus branches, digital-only courses, and global student outreach platforms.
Who Manages .ac.ke?
KeNIC is the non-profit registry operator formed to manage Kenya’s country-code top-level namespace.
It represents a partnership between the Communications Authority (CA) and the local ICT sector.
KeNIC manages the central database for all .ke extensions, maintaining the DNS zone records, but they do not sell domains directly to schools.
Registrars like Truehost submit applications, coordinate verification letters, process payments, and activate the zone records on their behalf.
ccTLD Chain
What Happens If Your .ac.ke Domain Expires?
Academic institutions sometimes miss renewal alerts. If that happens, the domain goes through a strict lifecycle clock.
Take action before the final deletion phase.
Active State
1 – 5 Year TermThe domain resolves normally to your website and student portals. You can renew it at normal price anytime.
Auto-Renew Grace
1 – 30 Days Post-ExpiryResolution stops. Web and student portals go offline. The domain owner can still renew at normal cost without penalty.
Redemption Grace
31 – 75 Days Post-ExpiryLocked by KeNIC. Restoring requires paying a restore fee plus the standard renewal price.
Pending Delete
5 DaysQueued for registry deletion. The domain cannot be restored, renewed, or transferred at this stage.
Released
Day 81+Purged from the database. Released back into the public registry for fresh registrations.
Renewing On Time Costs KSh 1,500. Restoring Late Costs Ksh 6,500.
Compare the cost timeline below. Renewing on time protects your namespace and budgets.
| Status Period | Timeline | Action Required | Total Cost (Ksh) |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-Time Renewal | Before Expiry Date | Standard Renewal | KSh 1,500 |
| Auto-Renew Grace | 1 – 30 Days Post-Expiry | Standard Renewal | KSh 1,500 |
| Redemption Recovery | 31 – 75 Days Post-Expiry | Registry Restore Order | Ksh 6,500 (Includes Restore + 1-Yr Renewal) |
| After Day 81 | Post-Deletion | Fresh Registry Registration | KSh 1,000 (Subject to name availability) |
Register Your .ac.ke Domain in Four Steps
The registration workflow is simple: search your name, upload accreditation certificates, make payments, and go live.
Most academic institutions are activated within 24 hours of document verification.
Search Your Name
Type your university or college name in the search bar at the top of this page to check availability.
Upload Vetting Documents
Upload your TVETA/CUE registration copy and request letter inside your Truehost portal after checkout.
Complete Payment
Pay via M-Pesa push, bank transfer, or card. We support LPOs for public training institutions.
Activate Domain
Once KeNIC audit verification is complete, your domain goes active. Point it to your web host and go live.
Transfer Your .ac.ke Domain
Already hold a .ac.ke domain registered elsewhere?
Migrate your management to Truehost without database downtime. Includes an automatic 1-year renewal extension.
Unlock and Get EPP Code
Log into your current registrar portal, disable transfer lock, and request your EPP code.
Submit Transfer at Truehost
Submit the transfer order inside our portal using the EPP authorization code for KSh 1,000.
Approve Registry Email
Click the validation link inside the transfer email sent by KeNIC. Transfer completes in 1-5 days.
.ac.ke Domain FAQs
Everything you need to know about the document validation process, payment procedures, registration rules, and CUE/TVETA guidelines.
Do I need an accreditation certificate to register a .ac.ke domain?
Yes. The KeNIC registry enforces strict verification standards to protect academic institutions and students. To complete your registration, you must upload the following documents:
- ✓Official Letterhead: An authorization letter printed on the official letterhead of the requesting university, college, or TVET institute.
- ✓Authorized Signatory: Signed and stamped by the head of the institution, Vice-Chancellor, Principal, CEO, or Registrar.
- ✓Accreditation Copy: A clear scan of your registration certificate or charter from TVETA, the Commission for University Education (CUE), or the Ministry of Education.
You can upload these files in PDF or image format directly inside your Truehost client portal immediately after checkout.
How much does a .ac.ke domain cost, and what payment methods are accepted?
At Truehost Cloud, .ac.ke registration is priced at KSh 1,000 for the first year, with renewals at KSh 1,500. We accommodate educational procurement and administration procedures by offering multiple payment options:
| Payment Channel | Processing Speed | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| M-Pesa STK Push | Instant | Immediate activation for colleges & private departments |
| Direct Bank EFT/RTGS | 1 – 2 Business Days | Universities and institutions with central finance offices |
| Local Purchase Orders (LPO) | 2 – 3 Business Days | Public TVET colleges using standard procurement systems |
Formal proforma invoices and receipts are generated automatically inside your Truehost portal to support administrative accounting.
Can primary and secondary schools register a .ac.ke domain?
No. The `.ac.ke` extension is strictly reserved for tertiary colleges, polytechnics, seminaries, research councils, and universities in Kenya.
Primary schools, secondary schools, kindergartens, and nurseries must register under the .sc.ke (Schools Kenya) extension. Truehost also provides registration for `.sc.ke` domains, which require Ministry of Education registration certificates.
How long does verification and registry activation take?
Because academic domains require manual review to prevent unauthorized entities from claiming accredited status, the activation process involves three distinct steps:
- 1Registrar Audit (1 Hour): Truehost compliance officers check your uploaded authorization letter and TVETA/CUE certificate for completeness.
- 2Registry Vetting (12-24 Hours): KeNIC (the registry operator) reviews the documents and performs the official audit against their database list.
- 3DNS Propagation (1 Hour): The domain goes live in root nameservers and is ready to resolve web traffic and corporate emails.
Can we create subdomains for different departments and portals?
Yes. Once your main `.ac.ke` domain is registered and active (e.g., college.ac.ke), you can create unlimited free subdomains for your institution.
You do not need to pay any additional fees or submit new letters to do this. You can add DNS records such as portal.college.ac.ke, elearning.college.ac.ke, or library.college.ac.ke directly from the DNS Zone Editor in your Truehost dashboard client panel.