Instant AML and KYC compliance solution for Kenya

With Smile ID’s robust identity verification solution, you can ensure seamless customer onboarding, authenticate logins and transactions, and stay compliant with KYC, AML, and data protection regulations in Kenya.

Kenya Overview

As a member of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG), Kenya has one of the most robust KYC/AML frameworks in Africa. Businesses looking to onboard users resident in the country are required to adhere to local and international KYC standards.

Regulatory Overview

KYC/AML regulations

AML/KYC regulations in Kenya are enforced by a number of regulators, including the

  • Central Bank of Kenya (CBK),
  • Capital Markets Authority (CMA)
  • Financial Reporting Centre (FRC)

The primary regulation behind KYC (Know Your Customer) in Kenya is the [Anti-Money Laundering Act](/blog/the-central-bank-of-kenya-guidelines-on-anti-money-laundering-and-how-to-meet-them) (AMLA) of 2010.

Choose Smile ID as your compliance partner for AML/KYC regulations in Kenya!

Data protection regulations

The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner is responsible for enforcing Kenya’s Data Protection Act of 2019, which is the prevalent regulation for protecting the data of Kenyan citizens.

Institutions are required to obtain users’ consent before processing or transferring personal data. Users are also entitled to the erasure of their personal data upon request.

Stay compliant and prevent fraud in Kenya

Stay compliant, prevent fraud and streamline your user verification process for customers across Africa with Smile ID. Verify users with confidence with:

Kenya - Access to 3 API Authorities (IPRS, e-citizen, BRS) covering 36M+ ID records in Kenya

Kenya - Verify up to 8 ID documents including National IDs Alien IDs, Driver's License, Passports, etc

Kenya - Verify up to 5 ID numbers including National ID Number, KRA PIN, Alien Card Number, Passport Number, etc

Kenya - De-biased models with a 99.8% recognition accuracy for all African skin tones

Kenya - Image capture SDKs optimised for low bandwidth and all software versions as low as Android 5.0.

Kenya - Global AML Check against over 1100 global sanctions, PEPs, and adverse media watchlists.

Kenya - Enterprise-level security standard with ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type 1 & 2 certifications.

Accurately verify up to 8 ID documents in Kenya

Kenyan Identity Cards
Kenyan identification documents are issued by Kenyan consulates or embassies abroad. Examples include the Kenyan Consular IDs which serve as a form of identification for Kenyan citizens residing outside Kenya and the Kenyan Diplomat IDs, which are issued to diplomats, granting them special privileges and immunities while serving in diplomatic missions abroad.
Kenyan Passport Document
The Kenyan passport is the official travel document issued to Kenyan citizens by the Department of Immigration and it can be verified in real-time with our KYC compliance solution for Kenya.
Kenyan Driver’s License
A driving license is issued to Kenyan citizens who have completed a driving course and passed the necessary tests. Integrate with our tech infrastructure and seamlessly perform driver's license verification in Kenya for seamless KYC compliance.
Kenyan Alien Identity Card
This is an identification card issued to foreign nationals residing in Kenya. It contains the holder's personal details.
Kenyan Resident ID
Issued by the Directorate of Immigration Service, the Kenyan Resident Card and Residency Permit authorises foreigners to reside in the country permanently or temporarily.
Kenyan KRA Pin
A KRA pin is associated with a National ID number or the Alien Card number. Businesses can easily verify the KRA pins of these IDs to ascertain their legitimacy.
Kenyan Uniformed Services ID Card
This ID is issued by the Ministry of Defence to military and personnel of other armed forces as a means of identification and membership.
Kenyan Travel Documents
This category encompasses all travelling documents requested at the Kenyan border. Examples include valid Border crossing documents, Refugee documents, and Visas.
Verify Kenyans using ID documents

Verifying users with ID documents and biometric face matching is one of the most reliable ways to determine a user's true identity. Our ID document verification solution checks that an ID document is authentic, accurately transcribes the text on the document and compares a user-submitted selfie to the document image.

Schedule a demo

Scan your document

Our image capture tools guide users to take clear photos even with older devices.

Smile for a selfie

Ensure the real user is behind the camera with a smile to test for liveness.

Get real-time results

In a few seconds, you will confirm the document is authentic and belongs to the user behind the camera.

Comprehensive Identity verification
(KYC/AML) solution in one place

Choose the best method to verify and onboard your customers efficiently.
Document Verification: Verify over 8500 documents across 220 countries globally, including Angola, with a 96% OCR accuracy.

Enhance your security with advanced authentication solutions.

Smartselfie Authentication: Protect your system with our AI-powered SmartSelfie Authentication solution, boasting a 99.8% accuracy rate for African faces. Integrate this into your multi-factor authentication system for accurate identity verification during access attempts.

Access all the tools you need to stop fraud in one place.

AML Check: Run AML checks on users against against 1100+ global and African sanctions, PEP, and adverse media lists.

Duplicate Account Prevention: Prevent duplicate account fraud with real-time scanning of previously registered faces during onboarding using our Smile Secure product.
Integration options

Seamlessly integrate our solutions via API or no-code option with your existing infrastructure to automate compliance.

Smile Links: A flexible, no-code option for creating customised user verification flows

SDKs: Available for iOS, Android, Hosted Web, Flutter, and React Native

Server-to-server libraries: Support for Ruby, Java, PHP, Python, and Node.js

REST API: Robust and flexible integration for efficient compliance automation