NAIROBI, Kenya – The Postal Corporation of Kenya (PCK) has applied for regulatory approval to increase the cost of renting private letter boxes and bags, citing rising operating expenses and the need to sustain postal services amid shrinking mail volumes.
Documents filed with the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) show that individual letter box rentals would increase by 10 per cent, from Sh2,000 to Sh2,200 per year, if approved.
Corporate letter box fees are proposed to rise by 5.8 per cent from Sh9,450 to Sh10,000, while special corporate accounts would see a sharper 12.4 per cent jump from Sh6,225 to Sh7,000.
Learning institutions and religious organisations would pay 3.6 per cent more, with annual charges increasing from Sh7,725 to Sh8,000.
Customers would also face significantly higher charges for key deposits and lock replacements, both set at Sh1,000.
This represents a 78.6 per cent increase in key deposit fees from Sh560 and a 69.2 per cent rise in lock replacement costs from Sh650.
PCK further indicated that the current Sh1,320 fee charged at sub-post offices would be “harmonised,” although no new amount has been disclosed.
The corporation has also not announced when the proposed changes would take effect.
In a notice, the Communications Authority confirmed that Posta had formally sought approval to revise its tariffs.
“PCK has applied to the Authority for approval to review its private letter box and bag rental fees due to increased costs associated with service delivery,” the regulator said.
The CA invited members of the public and stakeholders to submit comments or objections within 30 days, addressed to the Director General, with copies sent to PCK.
The proposed fee increases come as the state-owned postal operator grapples with declining relevance in a market increasingly dominated by digital communication, private courier firms, and informal parcel delivery services operated by upcountry matatu cooperatives.
Latest CA data shows a sharp contraction in domestic mail handled by PCK.
The number of letters fell by 17.2 per cent, from 174,057 in June 2025 to 144,087 in September 2025, while parcels dropped by 19.8 per cent from 141,932 to 113,874 over the same period.
In contrast, private courier companies recorded growth, with letter volumes rising by 14.6 per cent and parcels increasing by 2.2 per cent.
International parcels handled by Posta grew by 18.2 per cent, supported by automation initiatives, including improved card issuance systems.
To stem the decline and modernise postal services, the government plans to invest Sh3.1 billion in postal and courier infrastructure by 2027.
Under the 2023–2027 Universal Service Fund strategy, the State aims to establish citizen service centres that consolidate mail and parcel services, strengthen last-mile delivery, and expand e-commerce access, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
