Built on KWE’s foundation
KWE became hosting.com Kenya because hosting.com saw that what KWE had built was worth expanding on.
Monicah has been part of the KWE team since 2016. She and her four colleagues in Nairobi have worked together for nearly a decade, and she describes them as a family. They train each other, support each other, and above all, they know their customers. As Monicah puts it, most new business comes through referrals, because existing customers trust the service enough to recommend it.
That kind of trust takes years to earn and can’t be replaced by technology. It’s also exactly what hosting.com was looking for in the East African market.
Seb de Lemos, hosting.com’s CEO, was upfront about the approach: hosting.com doesn’t know the Kenyan market the way the Nairobi team does. What hosting.com can do is provide better hardware, a wider product suite, and global infrastructure, then let the local team do what they’ve always done best.
The result is a real partnership. KWE’s expertise and customer relationships on one side. hosting.com’s technology and scale on the other. Both working together so Kenyan businesses get more than either could deliver alone.
What’s changed, and why it matters
The short version: you’re on better hardware, with a wider product range, and more security baked in by default. Here’s what that looks like in practice.
Faster, more powerful infrastructure
Every hosting account will be moved to servers with modern, high-end infrastructure. That means AMD EPYC processors, LiteSpeed web servers with Turbo Velocity optimization, and SSD storage across every plan, including shared hosting. Hosting.com’s approach is that there’s no two-tier infrastructure. If a site is running slowly, the reason should be something you can fix - not a hardware limitation on the hosting side.
Security is stronger
Free SSL, malware scanning, DDoS protection, and SSH access across all plans. All backed by hosting.com’s global security infrastructure and a 99.9% uptime commitment. The same trust you placed in KWE is now fortified by enterprise- grade tools.
Support is expanding
The same phone and ticket support you’re used to, and you can still email us at [email protected], but now we’ve added live chat, and WhatsApp is on the way. Plus, all online channels are now available 24/7. Same team, more availability, more ways to contact them.
As always, you can also visit us at the International Life House, 4th Floor, Off Mama Ngina Street in Nairobi.
Redis caching and staging environments (a first for Kenya)
Hosting.com Kenya is the only provider in the Kenyan market offering Redis caching on shared hosting plans. For WordPress and WooCommerce sites especially, this makes a real difference: Redis keeps database queries cached in memory, which speeds up page loads under traffic. Staging environments are also included across all WordPress plans - 3 to 20 depending on your tier - so you can test changes safely before touching the live site.
No other Kenyan host offers either feature at the shared hosting level.
Premium WordPress plugins, bundled in
WordPress plans now come with JetPack, All in One SEO (AIOSEO), WPForms, Duplicator, MonsterInsights, and OptinMonster pre- installed. These are tools most site owners end up needing anyway. Having them included means less setup time and real cost savings compared to buying each license separately.
New products already available
The product range has expanded significantly. That includes AI Application Hosting - a product that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the Kenyan market. It lets developers and businesses deploy AI- powered apps, chatbots, SaaS tools, and APIs to production with 99.99% uptime, enterprise security, and global edge delivery through 330+ CloudFlare locations. It supports Node.js, Python, PHP, and Rust, with deployment from Git, Cursor, or Windsurf.
Beyond AI hosting, the full product range now includes professional email, managed VPS, reseller hosting, and SSL certificates. Everything scales with you, so there’s no need to outgrow your provider.
What hasn’t changed
If you’ve been a Kenya Website Experts (KWE) customer, you’ve probably noticed the name change. The first thing worth saying is: your site is safe, your account is the same, and your team is still here.
What’s changed is what’s behind it all. Becoming hosting.com Kenya means the support of a global hosting platform to bring enterprise-grade infrastructure, new products, and expanded capabilities to the Kenyan market. The local team in Nairobi isn’t going anywhere, they’re just working with faster, more secure tools.
Here’s what most existing customers would want to know
Your payment methods: M-Pesa, Airtel Money, bank transfer, card, PayPal
Support channels: phone, email, tickets, and Nairobi office all still available, WhatsApp coming soon!
Essentially, the transition is a name change and product expansion only.
What this means for you
Different businesses use hosting differently. Here’s what the changes mean for you.
If you’re a business owner with a website
You get faster page loads without doing anything. The infrastructure upgrade happens on our side. You also get Redis caching, staging environments, and six bundled plugins - none of which requires manual setup. If you’re on a WordPress plan, log in and they’re already there.
If you’re running an eCommerce store
Redis caching is the big one. For WooCommerce sites, it keeps product pages, carts, and checkout fast under load. Combined with malware protection, SSL, and DDoS protection as standard, your store is running on a stack that was previously out of reach for shared hosting customers in Kenya.
If you’re an agency or freelancer managing client sites
Staging on shared hosting changes the way you work. You can test updates, plugin changes, and design tweaks on a copy of the site before pushing anything live - without paying for a VPS. Free expert- led site migrations are included too, so moving client sites across is taken care of. And because AIOSEO, WPForms, and Duplicator come bundled with every WordPress plan, you’re not tracking separate licenses across every client account.
If you’re a developer
SSH access, PHP up to 8.4, LiteSpeed, Redis, and staging environments - all on shared hosting, without needing VPS. If you’re building with AI tools or deploying AI- powered applications, AI Application Hosting is now available: production- grade infrastructure for AI apps, deployed in minutes from your existing workflow.
Kenya has strong selection of hosting providers. Here’s how the hosting.com Kenya features measure up.
| hosting.com Kenya | HostPinnacle | HOSTAFRICA | Truehost | Nescom |
CPU | AMD EPYC | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
Web server | LiteSpeed + Turbo Velocity | LiteSpeed | LiteSpeed | Apache/LiteSpeed | LiteSpeed |
Redis caching (shared) | Yes, all WP plans | No | No | No | No |
Staging environments | Yes (3 to 20) | No | No | No | No |
Uptime guarantee | 99.9% / 99.99% (AI) | 99.9% | Not stated | Not stated | 99.99% (claimed) |
Security
| hosting.com Kenya | HostPinnacle | HOSTAFRICA | Truehost | Nescom |
Free SSL | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Malware scanning | Built in | Via Imunify360 | Antivirus included | No | No |
DDoS protection | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
SSH access | All plans | Available | Available | No | No |
WAF | Yes (AI Hosting) | No | No | No | No |
Local presence and payments
| hosting.com Kenya | HostPinnacle | HOSTAFRICA | Truehost | Nescom |
Local team | Nairobi, 5 staff, 15+ yrs | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
M- Pesa | Yes | Yes (+ ecommerce plugin) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Other payments | Airtel, bank, card, PayPal | Card, bank transfer | Card | Card, mobile money | Card, mobile money |
KES billing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
KeNIC accredited | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
24/7 support | Yes, expanding to 24/7 chat + WhatsApp | Limited hours | Yes (email) | Yes, 24/7/365 | Yes |
Free migration | Yes, expert- led | Free WP migration | Free (VPS) | No | No |
Plans and pricing
| hosting.com Kenya | HostPinnacle | HOSTAFRICA | Truehost | Nescom |
Shared hosting | From KES 200/mo | ~KES 240/mo | KES 210/mo | ~KES 208/mo | ~KES 200/mo |
WordPress hosting | From KES 240/mo (Redis, staging) | Shared + LiteSpeed | LiteSpeed CDN | Basic | Basic |
Bundled WP plugins | JetPack, AIOSEO, WPForms, Duplicator, MonsterInsights, OptinMonster | None specified | None specified | None specified | None specified |
AI Application Hosting | Yes | No | No | No | No |
Managed VPS | From KES 3,867/mo | Available | Available | Available | Available |
Professional email | From KES 389/mo | Included (basic) | Available | Basic | Basic |
Free domain | Yes (1st year) | Yes (lifetime, some plans) | Yes (.co.ke, 1st year) | Yes | Yes |
A note on pricing
Hosting.com Kenya isn’t the cheapest option out there, and that’s intentional. The entry- level shared hosting is priced competitively, but the real question is what you’re getting for your money.
AMD EPYC processors, LiteSpeed with Turbo Velocity, Redis caching, staging environments, malware protection, and six premium WordPress plugins are all included by default. Price those separately - plugin licences, VPS upgrade for Redis, staging tools - and the “cheaper” plan stops looking so cheap. You end up paying more and managing more. Hosting.com Kenya removes that trade-off: global-grade specs, priced for the local market, already set up.
Some things only a local provider can offer. Some things only a global platform can build. The point of this partnership is that KWE customers no longer have to choose between the two.
The Nairobi team has been building customer relationships for over 15 years. Most of KWE’s new business came through referrals; because existing customers trusted the service enough to recommend it to someone else. That kind of trust doesn’t transfer overnight, and it’s not something a global provider entering Kenya from scratch could replicate.
What hosting.com brings is the infrastructure, the product range, and the ability to keep building. Products like AI Application Hosting, Redis on shared plans, and staging environments at no extra cost aren’t things a standalone local provider can build alone, regardless of how good the team is. They require the kind of scale and engineering resource that a global platform can provide.
Together, the combination is genuinely new in this market: a hosting provider with deep local roots, global- grade technology, a team in Nairobi who know their customers by name, and a product roadmap that’s only getting broader.
If you have any questions, the hosting.com support team is available 24/7 to answer them, call us on +254722209414. No question is too small.
For businesses evaluating their options: explore hosting.com Kenya’s plans or watch Monicah and Seb’s conversation to hear the story in their own words.