Costs · 3 Nov 2026 · 8 min

How Much Do Kitchen Cabinets Cost in Kenya in 2026?

Published price ranges per running foot and per kitchen, how materials and worktops shape the bill, and what the new tax on imported boards means for your quote.

Last reviewed: 31 Oct 2026

One Nairobi studio’s 2026 price guide puts fitted kitchen cabinets at roughly KES 12,000 to KES 28,000 per running foot. That makes a mid-size family kitchen about KES 250,000 to KES 450,000, and a large kitchen with stone worktops and tall units KES 450,000 to KES 800,000 or more. Another firm’s guide quotes much lower, KES 50,000 to KES 350,000 for custom cabinets. The two do not agree, so it helps to read each as one firm’s published guide rather than a market price. The gap is mostly down to material, hardware and what is left out of the quote. Prices are as of October 2026.

There is also one new factor sitting behind all of those numbers. The Finance Act 2026 introduced a 30% excise duty on imported MDF, particle board, plywood, block board and timber, reported as applying from 1 July 2026, and boards are what most cabinets are made from. I’ll take you through the details below.

How much do kitchen cabinets cost per running foot or metre?

The most detailed Kenyan breakdown we’ve come across is Hauzisha Interiors’ 2026 kitchen cabinet price guide. It is one studio’s own guide rather than an independent survey, so keep that in mind. It lists fitted prices per running foot (about 30 cm of cabinet run):

By my own arithmetic, at about 3.28 feet to a metre, that is roughly KES 39,000 to KES 92,000 per running metre. I’d suggest taking a little care here. The same studio’s board comparison page lists “per running metre” prices several times lower, so I have not used those. Whenever you are given a quote, it is worth checking whether it is per foot, per metre or per kitchen, and whether it covers base units only or wall and tall units too.

What does a whole kitchen cost?

Per kitchen, the same Hauzisha guide gives:

• Small apartment kitchen: KES 120,000 to KES 250,000
• Mid-size family kitchen: KES 250,000 to KES 450,000
• Large kitchen with stone tops and tall units: KES 450,000 to KES 800,000+
• Island, as an add-on: KES 60,000 to KES 150,000

Lower figures do appear elsewhere. A Bestcare Facility Services price page (January 2026) lists basic custom MDF cabinets at KES 50,000 to KES 100,000, mid-range at KES 100,000 to KES 200,000 and premium at KES 200,000 to KES 350,000, with installation at KES 10,000 to KES 20,000. An August 2025 Bestcare page says a basic MDF set for a small kitchen “might start at KSh 50,000”.

The January page does not say what size of kitchen its figures assume, and the August page refers to a small kitchen, so I’d treat both as the entry level. Luxury, fully bespoke kitchens with premium appliances and integrated joinery fall outside the published ranges. For those, you will want a designed, itemised quote.

What are the material tiers?

• Melamine-faced particle board or MDF. The most economical route, and fine for dry upper units. Hauzisha’s materials guide rates particle board with melamine as low in moisture resistance and says ordinary MDF swells and crumbles if it stays damp. My advice is to keep both well away from sink bases.
• Blockboard. Medium-to-high moisture resistance, and a sturdy base-unit carcass.
• Marine plywood. High moisture resistance, and the guide says it holds hinges for years. The same guide cautions that fake or under-grade marine board is common, so it is sensible to ask to see the board’s markings and thickness.
• High-gloss acrylic or sprayed fronts. A deep shine, though the guide says acrylic shows fingerprints and fine scratches, and that sprayed lacquer is the priciest finish to do well.
• Solid wood. Moves with humidity and needs termite treatment and sealing, according to the same guide. It is usually used for door fronts and feature pieces rather than whole carcasses.

For a sense of raw board cost, Meru Timber’s online catalogue lists full 1220 × 2440 mm coloured MDF sheets at about KES 4,300 to KES 4,400 each, including VAT, at the time of writing (some variants are listed lower). A kitchen uses many sheets, but the board is rarely more than part of the price. Labour, spraying, hardware and fitting make up the rest.

How much do worktops cost?

Worktops are often the biggest single line in a luxury kitchen. These are the published ranges, fitted:

Bestcare’s figures come from its countertop installation page, which calls them estimates. They are per metre, not per foot, so the two columns are not directly comparable. By my own arithmetic, Hauzisha’s granite works out at about KES 21,000 to KES 39,000 per metre, a bit higher than Bestcare’s. The price depends on colour, thickness, edge profile, joints and cut-outs for the sink and hob. Sintered stone is the premium option, and I haven’t been able to find an independent Kenyan price for it beyond that “18,000+” figure.

What about hardware and extras?

Hauzisha says soft-close hinges and drawers, internal organisers, and tall and corner units push the price up, and that cheap runners tend to fail first. It lists moving a sink at about KES 20,000 to KES 60,000 for pipework and tiling, and says custom cabinets cost roughly 10–20% more than buying ready-made boxes for most Nairobi kitchens. Appliances, sink mixers, gas and electrical work are normally excluded from cabinet quotes.

What is the 2026 imported-board tax and how does it affect prices?

The Finance Act 2026 introduced excise duty on a list of imported goods. According to EY’s tax alert, imported MDF, particle board, block board and plywood attract 30% of the excisable value, as does timber under one tariff line (4407.19.00), not timber in general. Legal500’s tax note says the duty applies from 1 July 2026 and gives no EAC-origin exemption.

On the effect, a trade report by Mjengo Hub on a supplier letter from PG Bison says the excise comes on top of the existing 35% import duty, that boards bought before 1 July do not carry the new tax, and that the supplier would revise prices. I haven’t been able to confirm those points in official text, so please treat them as a trade report. The Standard reported on 30 June 2026 that furniture makers warned of price hikes and job losses, and that manufacturers said the tax was introduced without public participation.

Separately, ready-made imported furniture attracts a different charge. Kenya applies 45% import duty on most imported furniture of tariff heading 9403, against the EAC standard rate of 35%, under a one-year “stay of application” that the EAC renews each July. The EAC gazette of 30 June 2024 already carried it, and the latest renewal runs from 1 July 2026. KPMG’s July 2026 note describes it as a rise from 35% to 45% on selected furniture products, but on the gazette evidence it is a continuing rate, not a new increase. VAT and other import charges come on top.

What this means for you:

• It’s reasonable to expect board prices, and therefore cabinet quotes, to be higher than a 2025 price list. I haven’t been able to find a verified figure for the percentage effect on a finished kitchen.
• Ask how long a quote is valid, and whether the boards have already been bought or will be priced at delivery.
• Check whether the supplier’s boards are locally made or imported. I found no court order suspending the excise as of October 2026, but rates and coverage can change, so please confirm the current position for your specific item with KRA, a licensed clearing agent or a tax adviser.
• Premium imported fittings and ready-made imported cabinets may also cost more.

What should I look for in a kitchen quote?

Hauzisha’s checklist is a good place to start. I’d suggest asking for:

1. Carcass material, and the material for sink and wet-zone units
2. Door and front material and finish
3. Worktop material, thickness and edge
4. Hinges and runners listed by brand
5. Whether delivery, fitting and making good are included
6. Itemised lines, not a lump sum
7. Exclusions: appliances, plumbing, electrics, gas, VAT
8. Payment stages, and what happens if board prices change before delivery

If you are a diaspora client, it can be reassuring to ask for photographs of the board stamps and the first finished door before the whole set is made. It is natural to want to see something before you commit when you can’t be in the workshop yourself.

At Goldie Interiors we make bespoke cabinetry in our own workshop, and our team manages the other trades through one project manager. If you would like a kitchen designed and priced from scratch, I’d be glad to hear from you. You can message us on WhatsApp at +254 795 930 270 or visit www.goldieinteriors.co.ke.