By the NGOs.ke Editorial Team. Updated October 2026.
How much do Kenyans give to charity? A lot more than most people elsewhere. The World Giving Report 2025, built on 2024 survey data from the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) and the Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF), found that 86% of Kenyans gave money to a cause, against 72% across Africa and 64% worldwide. Yet only 45% gave to a charity. Most of the rest went to religion and to people in need. With National Philanthropy Day on 15 November, here is what the numbers mean for a Kenyan NGO trying to raise money at home.
Most coverage repeats the headline. This guide goes one level down: where the money actually goes, what donors say would make them give more, and a practical checklist for turning that into local funding.
Kenya giving statistics at a glance
- Gave money (any recipient): 86%, versus 64% globally.
- Gave to a person or family in need: 64%.
- Gave to a religious organisation or cause: 60%.
- Gave to a charity: 45%.
- Frequent givers: 21% of givers donated 12 or more times in 2024 (17% Africa, 13% global).
- Volunteering: nearly half of Kenyans volunteered, averaging 20.6 hours each.
- Share of income donated: about 2.13% on average, of which just 0.57% went to charities.
Where does Kenyan giving money actually go?
By share of total donations, the report puts 35.8% toward religion, 33.4% toward charities and 30.8% directly to people in need. So charities capture roughly a third of the pie. That is not small, but it is a reminder that your real competitors for a Kenyan donor’s shilling are the church collection and the relative with a hospital bill, not other NGOs.
The causes people said they supported tell NGOs where giving is already strong:
- Religion or religious organisations: 54%
- Children or young people: 40%
- Elderly people: 40%
- Poverty relief: 38%
- Homelessness, housing and shelters: 38%
- Education: 35%; disabled people: 35%
- Health charities: 31%
- Humanitarian aid and disaster relief: 23%
- Environmental protection: 20%
Notice the gap. Climate and disaster work attract far less personal giving than children’s causes or poverty relief, even though donor funding for that work is under pressure. If your programme sits there, local individual giving will need more explaining, not less.
Do Kenyans trust charities?
Mostly, yes. Kenya scored 11 out of 15 on the report’s trust measure, ahead of the continental average of 10.36 and the global 9.22. Local and regional charities were rated “very trustworthy” by 55% of respondents, international ones by 50% and national ones by 37%. Only 6 to 12% called charities “not very trustworthy”.
The national figure is the one to sit with. Proximity builds trust. A community-rooted organisation that people can visit tends to beat a distant national brand.
What would make Kenyans give more to NGOs?
The survey asked what would increase giving in 2025. The answers are a to-do list for any NGO:
- 61%: knowing more about a charity’s results and impact.
- 47%: knowing the charity sector is well regulated.
- 40%: knowing more about how a charity is run.
None of these is about a bigger ask or a slicker campaign. They are about showing your work. That ties directly to compliance: a current PBO registration, filed annual returns and published governance details are fundraising assets, not just legal chores. Our board governance checklist covers what regulators expect.
How can a Kenyan NGO raise more local funds?
- Publish a one-page impact summary each year, with real numbers (people reached, cost per outcome, what failed). The 61% figure says this is the single biggest lever.
- Put your registration and filing status on your website. It answers the “is the sector regulated?” worry in one click.
- Name your board and explain how money is spent. That addresses the 40% who want to know how a charity is run.
- Match the ask to the cause. If you work on children, youth or poverty, local appeals have a head start. If you work on disaster response or the environment, lead with a concrete story and cost.
- Plan for the calendar. GivingTuesday on 1 December is the next big giving moment, and corporate donations are a second local channel with their own tax rules.
- Invite people to volunteer, not only donate. With nearly half of Kenyans volunteering, time is already a form of giving. See our volunteering guide for the rules.
One caution. The survey measures what people say they did in 2024, and it is a sample, not a count of shillings received by NGOs. It also does not break giving down by channel such as mobile money, so we cannot say how much of this reaches charities digitally. Treat it as direction, not a forecast.
FAQ: giving in Kenya
What percentage of Kenyans donate money?
86% gave money to a cause in 2024, according to the World Giving Report 2025, compared with 64% of people globally.
How much of their income do Kenyans give?
On average about 2.13%, split roughly 0.57% to charity, 0.78% to individuals and 0.79% to religion.
Which causes get the most support?
Religion leads at 54%, followed by children or young people and the elderly at 40% each, then poverty relief and housing or shelter at 38% each.
When is National Philanthropy Day?
It is marked on 15 November each year. It is a handy hook for a thank-you message to supporters or a donor report.
Who published the Kenya giving data?
The Charities Aid Foundation runs the global survey, and KCDF produced the Kenya findings. Read the summary on the KCDF website.
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