How to Start a Cyber Cafe Business in Kenya: Costs, Location and Requirements

You can make good money by opening a cyber cafe; it is a profitable business, especially if you know how to run it. Experienced people who have run it for years claim they generate up to Ksh 10,000 a day. The best thing to do is to know your clients’ needs, offer them the right services, have good-performing equipment and gadgets, and keep learning new computer basics.

In this article, I will explain everything you need to know when venturing into this business in Kenya as a beginner, to give you a clue about the correct things to do.

1. Cost of Starting a Cyber Business

To begin, you need to have a capital of around Ksh 200,000 to Ksh 300,000, depending on the size of your shop and location. The electronics and items are usually expensive, especially the quality ones.

Below are some of the most required things to have:

Printer

This is what every cyber cafe in Kenya must have. Nowadays, almost every student and professional owns a laptop, so some have knowledge of how to do simple tasks like applying for government services, but they do not have a printer; hence, they will be forced to come to you.

The best printer for a cyber cafe needs to have low running costs, high-volume output, and multipurpose functionality. The Epson EcoTank or Kyocera ECOSYS are highly recommended. They range from Ksh 20,000 to Ksh 30,000.

A good printer should handle scanning, copying, and printing with refillable ink bottles.

Computers and CPUs

The other thing you will need is to buy a CPU with a high processor that is at least 16GB RAM and 10th generation, plus a monitor with a resolution of at least 1080HD, because you will use this for high tasks like graphics editing and bulk tasks. These specs make them run smoothly.

Get at least four CPUs of at least Core i3. Standard choices include Intel Core i3-10100F or i3-14100 and other monitors. These cost an estimated Ksh 10,000 each. These separate computers are used by children to play games like GTA and driving. This group is important because they help your business grow during times when there are no clients coming to print. They normally come to play games and will help you make some money during dry days. Some people come to browse and bet using these computers. Most cyber cafe owners charge Ksh 1 per minute for playing games and browsing.

Be careful when buying the items listed above. There are many scammers online with fake pages and websites. I recommend a person called Irungu of Best Sellers Computers. His shop is located on Biashara Street, Yala Towers, 2nd Floor, Shop 203. He has genuine gadgets and has been operating the business for years. Since I was in my first year at the University of Nairobi, he has been the one repairing my laptop. I have bought many things like USB disks, monitors, mice, and HDMI cables from him.

2. Choosing the Right Location

The place where you set up your cyber cafe is important. You should target an area where at least 15 people come seeking services in a day. This includes areas near schools, as they do a lot of exam printing. If you can find a shop inside universities and colleges, you can be lucky because this business is a hot cake there. Campus students do a lot of printing of assignments, copies of fee structures, and projects. Here, you can even earn KSh 20,000 per day in major institutions like the University of Nairobi and Kenyatta University.

In major towns like Kisumu, Nairobi, Eldoret, and Mombasa, the business can also thrive in town centres. People seeking jobs usually do printing of certificates, passport photos, and lamination of documents.

3. Setting Up the Shop

After getting ready, you need to prepare your work area to look like a cyber cafe. Pay rent, which should cost from Ksh 8,000 per month to Ksh 15,000 in high-traffic areas. Get a good interior designer to help you set up the inside and decorations so that it can look neat. Partition sections for computers used for browsing and gaming, and buy good chairs.

You also need strong WiFi, which is nowadays available in most places in Kenya. I prefer Safaricom Fibre because it is fast and reliable.

4. Business Registration

To avoid problems with the government, get a business permit, which costs around Ksh 5,000 to Ksh 15,000, depending on your county. Nairobi is higher, while local markets are lower. Register your business name through eCitizen, which can cost around KSh 1,000.

Things You Need to Know When Running a Cyber Cafe Business

• You need to collaborate with other cyber cafe owners. Sometimes your printer can break down, and your colleague will help you avoid letting customers down. You can go and print at another cyber cafe.
• Learn some basic computer maintenance in case a computer breaks down so that you can repair it yourself. Things like replacing RAM, upgrading SSDs, replacing broken screens, and repairing printers will help you save a lot of money that you would have paid to a repair technician.
• Always learn new computer tricks and how do use new applications on the KUCCPS Portal, NTSA, and other government services so that when customers come, you do not struggle.
• Have Photoshop skills and be trained in graphic design so that you can make things like job cards, wedding invitation cards, and posters easily.
• Have power backups so that in case of blackouts, you can continue with your tasks.
• Over time, you can upgrade and combine your cyber and PlayStation, where boys come to play games like FIFA, it is profitable, just imagine per game you charge Ksh 50 in 8 minutes.