Why Kenyan Brands Are Sleeping on Affiliate Marketing

Why Kenyan Brands Are Sleeping on Affiliate Marketing (And It’s Costing Them Millions)

A conversation with Collins Meroka, an industry peer, highlighted the growing interest in affiliate marketing in Kenya. To test this, I created a simple landing page for people interested in learning more. In less than two months, over 30 inquiries came through. The interest keeps growing daily.

After years in marketing, I keep noticing patterns with how Kenyan brands approach digital opportunities. There are clear gaps that could be filled.

The opportunity for brands is significant, but many haven’t recognized it yet.

The MLM Problem That Won’t Go Away

Here’s why affiliate marketing has a reputation problem in Kenya. Early adopters were MLM companies like GNLD. They shaped the narrative badly. Now mention affiliate marketing and people immediately think pyramid scheme.

This perception is holding back real opportunities. While Amazon affiliates make millions globally, we’re still debating if affiliate marketing is legitimate.

What’s Actually Working (And What Isn’t)

Let me break down the current state with focus on bigger brands.

Jumia – Had an affiliate program. Doesn’t work as of September 2025. For Kenya’s biggest e-commerce platform, this is disappointing.

Safaricom – Uses USSD codes. In 2025. Dial *544# to refer someone, and you only earn airtime. The company that gave us M-Pesa is stuck in the stone age for affiliate marketing.

Others in the space:

  • Hostafrica – Web hosting affiliate program
  • KLM – Aviation affiliate through international networks
  • Truehost – Web hosting referral system
  • Kenya Airways – Uses TradeTracker platform
  • DRO Digital Agency – Digital services referral program, streamlining growth for clients. (testing phase)

These represent the current landscape – some more developed than others, but all showing there’s movement in the market.

The Scammer Problem

High interest combined with limited knowledge creates opportunities for bad actors. You’ll find people selling affiliate marketing “secrets” for 5,000 KES everywhere. Pay-to-join programs. Expensive courses with no clear next steps after payment.

These operators damage the reputation of legitimate affiliate marketing. The responses on the X conversation below proves this.

Market Gaps and Opportunities

I’ve consulted with various brands about their digital strategies. Here are the common patterns I see around affiliate marketing:

They don’t understand it – Most marketing teams think it’s complex. It’s not.

They want control – Affiliate marketing means trusting other people to sell for you. Control freaks hate this.

They want instant results – Facebook ads show clicks immediately. Affiliate relationships take time to build.

They’re scared of tracking – “How do we know it works?” Meanwhile, they’re spending money on brand awareness campaigns they can’t measure at all.

The Numbers Don’t Lie

Affiliate marketing is performance-based. You only pay when someone buys. Every shilling you spend has already made you money.

Compare that to your Facebook ads budget. How much did you spend last month? How many actual sales can you trace back to those ads?

With affiliates, if you pay 1,000 KES in commissions, you know you made at least 1,000 KES in sales (probably much more).

The Automation Solution

Modern affiliate platforms solve every “complexity” problem brands think exists:

  • Automatic tracking of clicks and sales
  • Automatic commission calculations
  • Automatic payments to affiliates
  • Fraud protection built-in
  • Real-time reporting

Setting up takes less time than creating a Facebook campaign.

The Creator Opportunity Everyone’s Missing

Kenya has thousands of content creators building audiences on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram. They need money. Brands need customers.

Yet brands pay expensive agencies for “influencer marketing” instead of setting up simple affiliate programs where creators only get paid for actual results.

Beyond Social Media

You don’t need followers to be an affiliate. The biggest earners often work behind the scenes:

  • Review websites optimized for Google
  • Email lists built over time
  • WhatsApp groups with engaged audiences
  • Professional networks and referrals
  • Strategic partnerships

No videos. No social media. No showing your face. Just results.

The SME Advantage

Big companies can waste marketing budgets. Small businesses can’t. This makes affiliate marketing perfect for SMEs.

A restaurant paying delivery guys small commissions for new customers. A SaaS company rewarding existing users for referrals. A clothing store partnering with university students.

Simple. Effective. Profitable.

International vs Local Reality

While Kenyan brands debate whether affiliate marketing is “real,” international companies are building billion-dollar programs:

  • Amazon’s affiliate program has created thousands of millionaires
  • Shopify partners build entire businesses on referrals
  • Pinterest creators monetize through affiliate links daily

The gap isn’t technology. We have better mobile payment systems than most developed countries. The gap is mindset.

What Needs to Change

Stop the complexity excuse – Modern platforms make affiliate marketing easier than running Google Ads.

Start small – Test with 10-15 affiliates. Measure results. Scale what works.

Think long-term – This isn’t a campaign. It’s a growth system that compounds over time.

Educate your team – The knowledge gap is real but fixable.

Use proper tools – Stop trying to track affiliates in Excel spreadsheets.

The First-Mover Advantage

Right now, most Kenyan brands aren’t doing affiliate marketing properly. The first ones to get it right will dominate their markets.

While competitors burn money on oversaturated Facebook ads, smart brands will build armies of performance-based salespeople.

The infrastructure exists. The interest exists. The international playbook exists.

What doesn’t exist is the balls to try something that works everywhere else but feels new locally.

Bottom Line

Every month you delay is another month of advantage handed to whoever moves first.

The people wanting to be affiliates are already contacting me daily. The technology is available now. The only thing missing is your decision to start.

Stop sleeping on this opportunity. Your competitors won’t wait forever.

Ready to Build Your Affiliate Program?


If you’re a brand looking to tap into Kenya’s growing affiliate marketing opportunity, we can help you get started. From strategy development to platform setup and affiliate recruitment, we’ve got the experience to build programs that actually work.


What we offer:

  • Affiliate program strategy and setup
  • Platform selection and integration
  • Affiliate recruitment and training
  • Performance tracking and optimization

The affiliate army is waiting. The technology is available. Let’s build something that works.


Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Affiliate Marketing Strategy.