Bulk SMS gateway for Kenya
Bulk SMS for Kenya, built for developers.
Send campaigns, OTPs and transactional alerts across Safaricom, Airtel and Telkom. A real API and SDK, prepaid M-Pesa top-ups, and your own sender ID live in 48 hours.
Pay as you go from KES 0.30 per SMS. No monthly fees, no contracts.
import { Pesarails } from "@pesarails/sms";
const sms = new Pesarails(process.env.PESARAILS_KEY);
await sms.send({
to: "254712345678",
sender: "PESARAILS",
message: "Your code is 4821",
});
// => { status: "sent", id: "a1b2c3" }Before your first broadcast
Four things to send a broadcast
No jargon. This is everything you need to send your first bulk SMS campaign in Kenya.
A sender ID
Your brand name shown as the sender, for example PESARAILS. We register it with the networks.
SMS credit
Top up your prepaid balance with M-Pesa or Paystack. Credit is debited per message.
Your recipients
A list of Kenyan numbers. We clean the format and route to the right network automatically.
Your message
Up to 160 characters per SMS, or use a template with variables. Send now or schedule it.
Why PESA RAILS
Everything a Kenyan sender needs, in one gateway
A real API and SDK
Clean REST endpoints and a typed SDK, not a bolted-on afterthought. Ship your integration in an afternoon.
M-Pesa top-ups
Fund your balance instantly with M-Pesa or Paystack. Pay only for what you send, prepaid.
Sender IDs in 48 hours
Your branded sender name registered across all networks, usually live within two days.
Delivery reports
Real-time delivery status by webhook or API, so you always know what landed and what did not.
Scheduling and templates
Queue messages for later and reuse templates with variables for OTPs, receipts and reminders.
OTP and transactional
A dedicated path for one-time passwords and payment alerts, kept separate from campaigns.
For developers
Send your first SMS in five minutes
Most Kenyan resellers give you a form and a thin API. We give you a documented REST API, a typed SDK, webhooks and idempotent sends, the things you actually need in production.
# Send to many recipients in one call
curl https://api.sms.pesarails.com/v1/messages/bulk \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $PESARAILS_KEY" \
-d '{
"sender": "PESARAILS",
"messages": [
{ "to": "254712345678", "text": "Hi Alice" },
{ "to": "254722000111", "text": "Hi Bob" }
]
}'WhatsApp Business messaging
Reach customers on WhatsApp from the same API, the same balance and the same dashboard. Rolling out to PESA RAILS soon.
Transparent pricing
Prices that drop as you grow
No hidden fees. The more you send, the less each SMS costs. Published, not quote-only.
Startups & small campaigns
KES0.50/SMS
1 - 5,000 messages
Growing businesses
KES0.35/SMS
5,001 - 50,000 messages
Enterprise & resellers
KES0.30/SMS
50,001 and above messages
Custom sender ID: one-off KES 7,000. See the full pricing breakdown
Reseller program
Run your own bulk SMS business
Buy SMS at wholesale, set your own prices, and bill your clients. We give you the API, the sender IDs and the delivery infrastructure. You own the brand and the margin.
- Wholesale rates with clear margins
- Per-client accounts, credit and usage
- Your own sender IDs across all networks
- M-Pesa and Paystack collection built in
PESA RAILS vs a typical reseller
| Documented API and SDK | Included | Rare |
| Self-service M-Pesa top-up | Instant | Manual |
| Sender ID turnaround | 48 hours | 3-14 days |
| Published pricing | Yes | Quote only |
| Delivery-report webhooks | Yes | Often not |
Questions
Bulk SMS in Kenya, answered
How much does bulk SMS cost in Kenya?
Pay as you go from KES 0.50 per SMS, dropping to KES 0.35 above 5,000 messages and KES 0.30 above 50,000. There are no monthly fees. A custom sender ID is a one-off KES 7,000.
How do I get an SMS sender ID in Kenya?
Three things: pay the one-off KES 7,000 fee, send your certificate of incorporation, and tell us the sender name you want (up to 11 characters). Most sender IDs are live within 48 hours, and at most 4 days.
Which networks can I reach?
Safaricom, Airtel and Telkom, so you reach every mobile phone in Kenya from one API and one balance.
Do you have an API and an SDK?
Yes. A clean REST API, a typed SDK, delivery-report webhooks, scheduling and templates, with real documentation. You can send your first SMS in about five minutes.
Can I pay with M-Pesa?
Yes. Top up your prepaid balance instantly with M-Pesa or Paystack, straight from the dashboard. Credit is debited per message as you send.
Can I send OTPs and transactional alerts?
Yes. There is a dedicated OTP and transactional path for payment alerts, receipts and login codes, separate from promotional campaigns.
Start sending in minutes
Create an account, top up with M-Pesa, and send your first SMS today.