In Kenya you can pay zakat through Zakat Kenya, the Adams Masjid based organisation that describes itself as the only zakat-focused body in the country and runs an M-PESA payment flow on zakat.co.ke; through mosque committees such as Jamia Mosque Nairobi, which collect on a published paybill; through international charities with a Kenyan office, such as Islamic Relief Kenya; or directly to eligible relatives and neighbours. The right choice depends on three tests: whether the collector keeps zakat separate from sadaqah, whether it tells you which of the eight Quranic categories your money reached, and whether it publishes any report at all. Most Kenyan collectors pass the first test and fail the third.
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The eight categories and why they decide the question
Zakat is not general charity. Surah At-Tawbah verse 60 limits it to eight recipients: the poor, the needy, those employed to administer it, those whose hearts are to be reconciled, freeing captives, the debt-ridden, the cause of Allah, and the stranded traveller. A collector that uses zakat to build a mosque, run a fun walk or pay for a conference is outside the list under the majority view, however good the cause. The zakat hub and the Kenyan calculation guide cover how much is due; this page is about where it is lawful to send it.
That is why the first question for any organisation is whether it ring-fences zakat. Sadaqah can go anywhere good; zakat must reach a person in one of the eight groups, must be transferred into their ownership (tamlik) under the majority of scholars, and must not be spent on buildings or administration beyond the share for those who administer it. A collector that mixes zakat into a general fund cannot give you that assurance.
Zakat Kenya: what its own site states
Zakat Kenya's about page states it was established in 2017, calls itself the only zakat-focused organisation in Kenya, and describes itself as dedicated entirely to zakat collection and distribution, with four core welfare programmes. Its office is on the second floor of Adams Masjid in Nairobi, with a phone line and email on every page. The four funds named on the site are a start-up fund that helps individuals build small businesses, a medical fund for low-income patients, an education fund that pays bursaries, and a welfare fund for families in hardship. Each maps to the poor and needy categories; the business start-up fund is the kind of productive zakat that many contemporary scholars prefer because it moves a recipient off the list.
The site runs its own calculator using the silver nisab, which showed Sh 155,954.54 when we checked in October 2026, and the donate page lets you choose Zakat or General Donation and then sends an M-PESA payment request to your phone for PIN confirmation. That toggle is the zakat-only ring-fence in practice. The site also has an apply page for people seeking assistance and links an Impact Report 2024 as a PDF; the report we downloaded was image-based and we could not extract figures from it, so we cannot quote amounts collected or distributed. A paybill number for Zakat Kenya circulates in press coverage, but it does not appear on zakat.co.ke, so pay through the website flow or confirm the number by phone before using it.
Mosque committees: Jamia Mosque Nairobi and the local masjid
Jamia Mosque Nairobi's donate page publishes an M-PESA paybill, business number 150770, with the campaign name entered as the account, and describes its community projects as providing food, education and essential support. The page is written for donations in general rather than zakat in particular, and the account-name mechanism means you choose the campaign; a bulletin on the mosque's site in January 2026 lists a Sudan relief campaign under the same paybill. If you want zakat applied as zakat, write ZAKAT as the account name only after confirming with the committee that it maintains a separate zakat account and distributes it to eligible recipients.
The same logic applies to every neighbourhood mosque committee in Eastleigh, Mombasa, Garissa or Kisumu. Committees know the poor of their area personally, which is a real advantage for reaching the first two categories, and many run Ramadan zakat distributions. The weakness is governance: few publish accounts, and some use collections for mosque construction, which is not a zakat use under the majority view. Ask two questions before paying: is zakat kept in a separate account, and who received last year's zakat.
International charities with a Kenyan office
Islamic Relief Kenya's donate page publishes a bank account at Absa Bank's Hurlingham branch in the name of Islamic Relief Kenya and an M-PESA paybill, business number 949210, with the campaign name as the account, giving IFTAR as the example. Its office is on Kirichwa Road off Ngong Road in Nairobi. The Kenyan page does not itself state a zakat policy; the global Islamic Relief organisation publishes zakat guidance and audited accounts, and a Kenyan donor who wants zakat treated as zakat should enter the campaign name the office confirms for zakat and keep the confirmation message.
The advantage of a large international charity is reporting and reach into the arid counties where need is deepest. The disadvantages are that programmes can mix zakat-eligible relief with non-eligible work, and that administrative costs are higher than a mosque committee's. Both are manageable if you ask for the zakat-specific channel and read the organisation's zakat policy before you pay.
Direct giving: the option most scholars rank first
Giving zakat directly to an eligible person is valid and, where you know a poor relative or neighbour, often preferable, because there is no administrative cut and because giving to needy relatives earns the reward of both zakat and kinship. The recipient must fall into one of the eight categories. Poverty is judged by whether the person's assets, after basic needs, are below the nisab, so a relative with a job but no savings and heavy debts can qualify under the debt-ridden category.
- You may give zakat to a brother, sister, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece or cousin who is poor; the kinship does not disqualify them.
- You may not give zakat to your parents, grandparents, children or grandchildren, because supporting them is already your duty, nor to your spouse under the majority view.
- You may not give zakat to a non-Muslim recipient under the majority view, though sadaqah to anyone in need is encouraged.
- You should transfer ownership of the money or goods to the recipient; paying a hospital bill or school fee on their behalf is accepted by many scholars when done with their consent, but a cash transfer removes the doubt.
- You do not need to tell the recipient it is zakat if that would humiliate them; the intention at the moment of giving is what counts.
- Household staff and casual workers can receive zakat if they are poor, but it must not replace wages that are owed.
The collectors side by side
| Organisation | What it publishes about itself | Zakat kept separate? | Channels on its site | Reporting on its site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zakat Kenya (zakat.co.ke) | Established 2017, Adams Masjid, dedicated entirely to zakat, four funds, apply page for recipients | Yes, Zakat or General Donation toggle | Website M-PESA payment request, phone, email | Impact Report 2024 PDF (image-based) |
| Jamia Mosque Nairobi | Community projects for food, education and support | Not stated; account name is the campaign | M-PESA paybill 150770, account = campaign | Friday Bulletin, no accounts found |
| Islamic Relief Kenya | Kenyan office of a global charity, Kirichwa Road | Not stated on the Kenyan page | Absa Hurlingham bank account, M-PESA paybill 949210, account = campaign | Not on the Kenyan page |
| Local mosque committee | Varies by mosque | Ask; many do not | Cash, paybill or treasurer | Rarely |
| Direct to an eligible person | You verify the recipient yourself | By definition | M-PESA, cash, goods | Your own record |
A verification checklist for any collector
Most organisations asking Kenyan Muslims for zakat are not on the list above. Before paying, run them through the same checks, and treat two failures as a reason to give elsewhere. The verification method we use for pension claims follows the same logic: published claims, a named person responsible, and a document you can read.
- Registration: ask for the registration number as a society, trust, NGO or company limited by guarantee, and check that the name on the paybill or bank account matches it.
- Zakat policy: ask whether zakat is held in a separate account from sadaqah and general donations, and whether the organisation deducts an administrative share and at what percentage.
- Recipients: ask which of the eight categories the organisation serves and how it assesses that a recipient is below nisab.
- Reporting: ask for last year's figures on zakat received and distributed, even if unaudited; a collector with no numbers at all cannot be verified.
- Governance: ask who the trustees or committee members are and which scholar advises on zakat eligibility.
- Receipts: confirm you will receive an M-PESA or written acknowledgement that names the payment as zakat, which also supports your own record for next year.
The decision
If you know a poor relative or neighbour, give at least part of your zakat directly; it is the surest route to an eligible recipient and it costs nothing in administration. If you want an institution, Zakat Kenya is the only Kenyan collector whose own site commits to zakat alone, separates zakat from sadaqah at the point of payment and runs a recipient application process, which makes it the default for a Nairobi reader even though its published reporting is thin. Use a mosque committee when you know its officers and have confirmed that zakat is kept separate; use Islamic Relief Kenya when the need you want to reach is in the arid north and you have confirmed the zakat campaign name.
Whatever route you take, calculate first with the zakat calculator or the investments article if you hold funds and shares, pay on your fixed lunar date rather than only in Ramadan, keep the confirmation, and ask the collector where the money went. Facts checked against zakat.co.ke, islamic-relief.or.ke, jamiamosque.co.ke on 28 September 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Can I pay zakat through M-PESA?
Yes. Zakat Kenya's donate page sends an M-PESA payment request to your phone once you choose Zakat and an amount, Jamia Mosque Nairobi publishes paybill 150770 and Islamic Relief Kenya publishes paybill 949210, each with the campaign name as the account. A direct M-PESA transfer to an eligible person is equally valid. Keep the confirmation SMS as your record and note that transfer charges come out of your own pocket, not the zakat.
Is Zakat Kenya registered and trustworthy?
Its site states it was established in 2017, is based at Adams Masjid in Nairobi, is dedicated entirely to zakat and runs four programmes plus an application process for recipients. It publishes an Impact Report 2024, though the copy we downloaded was image-based and we could not read its figures. We did not find a registration number on the site; ask for it and for last year's distribution total before paying a large amount.
Can zakat be used to build a mosque or a madrasa?
Under the majority view, no. Zakat must be transferred to a person in one of the eight categories, and a building is not a person. A minority reading of the cause of Allah category allows it, but most scholars confine that category to defence of the community and, by extension, students and workers of religion who are poor. Give to construction from sadaqah, and keep zakat for people.
Can I give zakat to a relative?
Yes, if the relative is poor or in debt and is not someone you are already obliged to support. Siblings, uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces and cousins all qualify when they are below nisab. Parents, grandparents, children and grandchildren do not, because maintaining them is your duty regardless, and most scholars exclude the spouse as well. Giving to eligible relatives carries the reward of both zakat and kinship.
Should I pay zakat in Ramadan or on my own date?
Zakat falls due one lunar year after your wealth first reached nisab, and that anniversary is your date. Paying in Ramadan is permitted and earns the reward of the month, but only if you are paying early rather than late. Many Kenyans fix their anniversary in Ramadan for simplicity, which is fine; the error is skipping a year because you thought Ramadan was the only valid time.
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What if a collector charges an administration fee?
The Quran names those employed to administer zakat as one of the eight categories, so a reasonable share for collection and distribution staff is lawful. The problem is proportion and disclosure. A collector should tell you the percentage it retains and should not fund marketing events, buildings or unrelated programmes from zakat. If it cannot or will not state the figure, give directly or choose another collector.
