UK student visa proof of funds from Kenya: the amount in shillings and how to prove it

The two money tests

The Home Office checks that you can pay for your course and that you can support yourself. The course part is whatever your CAS says is still unpaid. The support part is a fixed monthly amount that depends on the place of study: London means the City of London and its 32 boroughs, and everywhere else is outside London.

At present the monthly amounts are £1,171 and £1,529. They are counted for up to nine months, which gives £10,539 or £13,761. At KSh 173.40 to the pound that is KSh 1,827,411 or KSh 2,386,090.

Kenya is not among the countries the Home Office lets skip the funds test, so a Kenyan application must carry the evidence. The money can be your own, or a parent's from an account they control, with their letter agreeing to it. It must be accessible at once. The rules do not accept overdrafts, shares, pensions or cryptocurrency, nor accounts with institutions that the financial regulator in their own country does not supervise, nor accounts with no electronic record. In Kenya the Central Bank of Kenya supervises banks, so an account at a licensed bank is the sensible choice.

Four dates in the figure's history

The living-money figure was set in December 2020 at £1,334 for London and £1,023 elsewhere and did not move for four years. It rose to £1,483 and £1,136 for applications from 2 January 2025, when the Home Office promised to review it regularly against inflation and student loans. GOV.UK now shows £1,529 and £1,171. The next step, set by a Statement of Changes dated 3 September 2026, is £1,570 and £1,203 from 30 November 2026.

Treat the figure as one that moves every year. Numbers quoted in a WhatsApp group or an older blog are likely to be wrong. Read the GOV.UK money page in the week you apply.

Applying before or after 30 November 2026

A law-firm analysis of the September 2026 Statement of Changes says the date of application decides the figure, whatever the date of the CAS or the statement. We have not read the Statement ourselves, so confirm this on GOV.UK. If it is right, an application before 30 November 2026 is judged on the current amounts and one on or after it on the higher amounts. Over nine months the gap is £369 for London and £288 elsewhere, roughly KSh 63,983 and KSh 49,938.

What catches families is the 28 days. If you hold the lower total for four weeks and apply after the change, you are short, and adding money on the day of the application does not fix the earlier weeks. A student starting in January or February 2027 can apply now, since applications open six months before the course starts, but the whole file has to be ready. If your application date could move past 29 November, save to the higher figure from the start.

What it costs in shillings

In 2021 nine months of London living money meant about KSh 1.81 million. In 2023, once the shilling had weakened, the same £12,006 cost KSh 2.09 million. In 2025 the new £1,483 a month meant KSh 2.27 million, and today it is about KSh 2.39 million.

Over that stretch the shilling cost rose 1.32 times. About 51% of the rise is the exchange rate, from KSh 150.79 to KSh 173.40 a pound, and the remainder is the UK raising its number. In other words the shilling has been steadier than most, and the increases still to come are more likely to arrive from the rule than from the market.

UKVI converts a foreign-currency balance using the OANDA rate for the day you apply. Hold a little more than the requirement. We suggest about 5%, which is our advice and not a Home Office rule.

A plan for the 28 days

1. Choose the application date before anything else. It sets the figure and starts the count.
2. Work backwards. The newest statement must close no more than 31 days before you apply, and the 28 days run back from that closing date. For an application on 4 January 2027 the statement closes on or after 4 December 2026 and the money must be in place from 7 November.
3. Use a personal account at a licensed bank, yours or a parent's with their signed consent.
4. Do not let the balance fall below the requirement on any day of the period.
5. Gather the evidence: bank statements on paper or downloaded, a bank letter, or a certificate of deposit showing the holder's name, the bank and the balance.
6. Hold a margin for the exchange rate.
7. Have a counsellor check the whole file, and prepare a short cover letter if any recent deposit is large or unusual.

Points that are particular to a Kenyan file

Demand and scrutiny. The British Council in Kenya reports UK study visa approvals for Kenyans rising from 1,156 in 2021 to 2,210 in 2024, and 7,525 Kenyan students enrolled at UK universities over a recent four-year period. With more applications, the questions about where money comes from are sharper.

Where to apply. UK visa services in Kenya run through VFS Global. Reports describe a centre in Nairobi and premium centres in Mombasa and Eldoret. Check the VFS Global page for Kenya before you book.

Tuberculosis test. Kenya is on the UK's list of countries where applicants for stays over six months must have a TB test from an approved clinic. Reports place approved clinics in Nairobi and Mombasa. Check the GOV.UK list before you book and do the test before you apply.

Large deposits and gaps. UKVI advised in August and September 2026 that a cover letter may be needed to explain large or unexplained deposits and gaps since you last studied, and the Kenyan press covered it. Money from a relative abroad or the family business that arrives close to your application is exactly what a caseworker may ask about. Keep the transfer records. We have this from news reports of the UKVI notice rather than from the GOV.UK money page, so confirm the wording.

M-Pesa and mobile money. A mobile money balance is not a bank account. Do not rely on one for the 28 days without asking a counsellor.

Common mistakes

1. Using an old figure from a forum or chat group.
2. Counting from the CAS date instead of the application date.
3. Paying money in during the final fortnight.
4. Keeping the funds in shares, a pension or a wallet.
5. Leaving out the parent's letter.
6. Holding exactly the minimum, so a small move in the rate leaves you short.