WhatsApp Broadcast Marketing

How Much Does a WhatsApp Broadcast Cost in Kenya? (KES Per 1,000 Contacts)

By the HabariChat team · Updated July 2026

Short answer A WhatsApp broadcast has two costs. Meta charges you per delivered message, roughly KES 0.50 to KES 2.60, so a campaign to 1,000 contacts lands somewhere between KES 500 and KES 2,500. Your platform charges a flat monthly software fee, which on HabariChat starts at KSh 3,500 and includes unlimited campaigns. You are not charged for messages that fail to deliver, and you are not charged for any reply conversation within 24 hours. That last point matters more than the rate: a campaign that starts conversations costs far less per customer than one that is ignored.

The two costs, kept separate

Almost every confusing quote in this market comes from mixing these up. Keep them apart:

Cost	Who charges it	How it scales
Message fee	Meta	Per delivered message, so it grows with your list
Platform fee	Your provider	Flat monthly, does not grow per campaign on HabariChat

Providers that quote you "one price per message" are usually bundling their margin into Meta's rate. That is not automatically bad, but it does mean you can no longer see what the send actually cost, and you cannot check it against Meta's published rate card.

What Meta charges per message

Meta's rate for a delivered message to a Kenyan number falls in a band of roughly KES 0.50 to KES 2.60. Where you land inside that band depends on what you are sending and how much of it you send, and rates move from time to time, so confirm the current figure with us or on Meta's rate card before you commit a budget.

Two things are worth fixing in your head now, because they do more for your bill than the rate itself. You are only charged for messages that are delivered. And you are never charged for the conversation that follows a reply. The full picture is in our WhatsApp Business pricing guide.

Worked numbers by list size

The table below runs both ends of the band at a 95% delivery rate, then adds a HabariChat Starter plan at KSh 3,500. Use it for shape, not as a quotation.

Contacts	Delivered	Meta message fee	Plus platform fee	Total for the month
500	475	KES 238 to 1,235	KSh 3,500	KES 3,738 to 4,735
1,000	950	KES 475 to 2,470	KSh 3,500	KES 3,975 to 5,970
2,500	2,375	KES 1,188 to 6,175	KSh 3,500	KES 4,688 to 9,675
5,000	4,750	KES 2,375 to 12,350	KSh 3,500	KES 5,875 to 15,850
10,000	9,500	KES 4,750 to 24,700	KSh 3,500	KES 8,250 to 28,200

Two things to notice. First, at small list sizes the software is the bigger number and the messages are almost incidental, which is why a 500-contact business should be sending more often, not less. Second, past a couple of thousand contacts the message fee takes over and grows in a straight line, which is exactly where sending to everyone becomes an expensive habit.

What you are never charged for

Undelivered messages. Invalid numbers, numbers not on WhatsApp and people who have blocked you are not billed.
Replies and the 24 hours that follow. When someone answers your campaign, everything you send back for the next 24 hours is free, and each new message from them resets the clock.
Incoming messages. Customers messaging you first costs you nothing, and opens the same free window.
Anything you send during a live conversation. Once a window is open, the back and forth inside it is free.
Extra campaigns on HabariChat. Campaigns are unlimited on every plan, so a second send in the same week adds Meta's message fee only.

The number that actually decides your bill. Since Meta moved to per-delivered-message pricing, a contact who ignores you costs the same as a contact who buys. Send to 5,000 people when only 800 care, and at the top of the band roughly KES 10,000 of that KES 12,350 bought you nothing except the chance to annoy 4,200 customers, while pushing your quality rating down and shrinking your future reach. Poor targeting is not a soft problem here. It is a line item.

Cost per send versus cost per reply

Compare two campaigns, both at KES 2.60 per delivered message.

	Campaign A: blast everyone	Campaign B: one segment
Contacts messaged	2,000	600
Meta message fee	KES 4,940	KES 1,482
Replies	60	90
Cost per reply	KES 82	KES 16
Side effects	Blocks, opt-outs, rating pressure	Rating holds, list stays healthy

Campaign B costs a third as much and produces more conversations, because it went to people the offer suited. This is the whole discipline of WhatsApp marketing in one table. Reach is not the goal. Relevance is, and it happens to be the cheaper option.

Five ways to cut the bill

Segment before you send. Past buyers, location, product interest, last order date. Smaller sends to the right people beat one big send every time.
Send when there is something to say. A campaign with a real reason behind it earns replies. Sending because it has been a week earns opt-outs, at the same price per message.
Write for a reply. End with a question or a button. Every reply converts a paid message into a free 24-hour conversation.
Clean the list. Remove contacts who have not engaged in months. They cost the same as your best customers and return nothing.
Answer fast. A reply that sits until Monday wastes the free window you just paid to open. This is where an AI assistant on the number pays for itself.

What HabariChat charges

One monthly plan in shillings, covering the software, the AI assistant, your team's shared inbox and support. WhatsApp Broadcast Marketing campaigns are unlimited on every plan, and Meta's per-message rates are passed through at 0% markup, billed separately at cost so you can audit them against Meta's rate card.

Plans start at KSh 3,500 a month for Starter, with Growth at KSh 12,500 and Premium at KSh 64,500. Meta's own sending limits still apply to your number regardless of plan, and they rise as your number builds a good history. Full details are on the pricing page and in the help centre guide to WhatsApp message costs.

See your real campaign costs, not an estimate

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Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to send a WhatsApp broadcast to 1,000 people in Kenya?

Budget for two separate costs. Meta charges per delivered message, roughly KES 0.50 to KES 2.60, so a campaign to 1,000 contacts lands somewhere between KES 500 and KES 2,500. On top of that you pay your platform a monthly software fee, which on HabariChat starts at KSh 3,500 and covers unlimited campaigns. Always confirm the current Kenya rates before budgeting.

Am I charged for WhatsApp messages that are not delivered?

No. Meta charges per delivered message. If a number is invalid, not on WhatsApp, or has blocked you, that message is not billed. You are still charged for messages that are delivered and then ignored, which is why list quality controls your budget.

Do replies to my WhatsApp campaign cost extra?

No. When a customer replies, a 24-hour service window opens and every message you send them inside it is free. A campaign that starts many conversations therefore has a much lower true cost per customer than the send figure alone suggests.

What makes one WhatsApp campaign cost more than another?

Three things: how many contacts you send to, how many of those messages are actually delivered, and where your rate falls in the KES 0.50 to KES 2.60 band. The biggest saving is not in the rate but in targeting. A smaller send to people the message suits costs less and produces more replies than a blast to your whole list.

Does HabariChat charge per campaign or per contact?

Neither. WhatsApp Broadcast Marketing campaigns are unlimited on every HabariChat plan, and Meta's per-message rates are passed through at 0% markup. You pay one monthly plan in KES for the software, AI and support, plus Meta's message charges at cost. Meta's own sending limits still apply to your number.