Receiving money from another country - Remittances

WorldRemit.com

Transfer wise gives you the best rate and money in mpesa in minutes

Explore what money transfers services work from Mexico, as not all the apps/companies work in all the countries.

Western Union, although one of the more expensive options, is fairly universal.

Its very difficult to open a bank account in Kenya, so your best option is to register with the mobile network, Safaricom (you need your passport and an unlocked phone for this).  Visit a Safaricom shop and register with the network and M-Pesa, which is a mobile money/banking service.  99% of services can be paid via M-Pesa without the exchange of actual cash. 

Money transfer services should be able to directly top up your M-Pesa account from your home country. 

I assume that, when you say that you are moving to Kenya, that you have knowledge of the visas and permits required.  Kenya is not a country in which you can easily just move to and stay for over 6 months in.  You certainly can't legally work (paid or unpaid) without a work permit.

i beg to differ on  'Kenya is not an easy country to move to for 6 months', on the contrary it is the easiest one in EA. Rwanda, nope, TZ, nope but Kenya? you can live here underground for years and be employed by 'family' business and no one will be the wiser. Been the case for years with the Asian community and now with the Chinese.

worldremit is expensive, paysend (invitation code 0022j9) only charges 1.5 Euros no matter how much transferred to M-Pesa, and M-Pesa would be the choice if you may not have residenc permit, meaning you must be investors with any permit that may cost up to 1000 USD and sufficient money in bank account of 100.000 USD.
I am married and have the issue of not being able to stay and remain unless I go for dependent pass, or tourist visa and leave country every 6 months

<<i beg to differ on  'Kenya is not an easy country to move to for 6 months'>>

I said for over 6 months.  Sure, you can go underground quite easily if you are of asian or african descent and don't come across anyone who is going to ask for your ID.

For those of us who are from other countries and backgrounds, it's much more difficult to blend in and go underground.  I stand by what I say.  Additionally, when you come to leave and have been in Kenya illegally, you will be caught and overstaying/being in Kenya without a valid visa is a serious offence.  The days where you could bribe your way out of it have largely gone.

Immigration have become much better at identifying people who are in Kenya illegally and by the way, lots of Chinese are being deported for working illegally. 

I digress.  The other thing to look out for with money transfer services is the exchange rate.  The services have to make money somehow and those that have low/no charges offer a worse exchange rate, as they make their money that way.  I use World Remit, Simbapay and Sendwave in the UK.  Like I said, you need to check what services are available in your country.

H Laura.
LOL, dont go underground There are many options to ive you status if you explore wide enough.
As for money transfers there are as many options to get funds. Worldremit, western union, transferwise, WAVE etc etc.
Do note, once you have been in Kenya for over 3 months, you are eligible to register as an alien and get a FNS ( Alien card) after which you can apply for a PIN and open up a Bank acocunt for easy trasactions and control.
All the best.

why have you not been able to comply with immigration laws and acquire residency through the proper legal means? Please share any difficulties you faced

Speaking as a UK citizen married to a Kenyan for many years, I don't think that the process is easy at all, compared to say South Africa. 

The options for visas and permits are few and the route to PR or citizenship are convoluted and open ended with regard to timescale.  An example; in the UK, you are permitted to continue to live in the country while the outcome of a permit application is being determined, even if your original visa lapses.  In Kenya............its a 'No', you have to leave if your visa runs out. 

This happened to me when I applied for a Class K.  Immigration granted the permit on the day after (if I remember correctly) my extended Single Entry Visa expired, leaving me no choice but to fly to the UK and back into Kenya a few days later.  This was after sitting on my application for months.................why?

My experience with Immigration has led me to believe that policies are there to ultimately frustrate and discourage foreign settlers and this is despite the fact that we have invested several million Kes and employ several Kenyans.  Immigration is full of bureaucratic, petty and unhelpful officials.  You can't get timescale for anything, so you cannot plan anything.