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Home/Pricing

Published price guide · 2026

Borehole drilling cost in Kenya

A borehole is not one price, it is a sequence of them. Most quotations in this market give a single lump sum, which is why two quotes for the same site can differ by a million shillings and neither can be checked. This is the schedule we quote from, item by item, so you can see exactly what you are paying for and compare like with like.

These are our own schedule rates, published here for the first time. Related work is covered on our borehole engineering page.

How to read this. Work down the stages in order — they happen in that order on site. Drilling is charged per drilled metre and the rate depends on diameter and on what the drill meets; nobody can know the rock profile for certain until the hole is down, which is why the geophysical survey and the drilling prognosis come first and why an honest quote gives a rate, not a guess at the total.

Borehole drilling cost in Kenya — indicative ranges in Kenyan shillings
ItemPrice rangeTypical use
Survey & documentation
Hydrogeological survey & report (WRA-compliant)Common choiceKES 65,000per jobDesk study, site geology, groundwater potential, recommended depth and diameter
Geophysical survey — electrical resistivity, VES ×3KES 45,000per jobAquifer and fracture-zone identification, drill-point siting
Rock mapping & strata profile (drilling prognosis)KES 35,000per jobSets the per-metre rates and the casing plan
Drilling supervision by hydrogeologistKES 12,000per day—
WRA authorisation permit — application & statutory feesKES 30,000per jobDrilling without this is illegal
NEMA environmental impact assessment & licenceKES 55,000per job—
County government drilling permit & feesKES 15,000per job—
Borehole completion record & documentation packKES 12,000per jobRequired for the abstraction permit
Rig mobilisation
Mobilisation & demobilisation — within 50 kmKES 100,000per job—
Mobilisation & demobilisation — 50–150 kmKES 160,000per job—
Mobilisation & demobilisation — 150–300 kmKES 230,000per job—
Mobilisation & demobilisation — beyond 300 kmKES 320,000per job—
Drilling — per metre
6″ — soft formation (soil, sand, clay)KES 6,000per metre—
6″ — medium formation (weathered rock, murram)KES 7,500per metre—
6″ — hard rock (basalt, granite)KES 9,500per metre—
8″ — soft formationKES 7,500per metre—
8″ — medium formationCommon choiceKES 9,500per metre—
8″ — hard rockKES 12,500per metre—
10″ — soft formationKES 9,500per metre—
10″ — medium formationKES 12,000per metre—
10″ — hard rockKES 15,500per metre—
8″ Symmetrix / ODEX — simultaneous casingKES 16,000per metreFor collapsing sands and boulder beds
10″ Symmetrix / ODEX — simultaneous casingKES 20,000per metre—
Extra-hard rock DTH hammer surchargeKES 2,500per metre—
Casing & screen
uPVC casing 4.5″ Class D — plainKES 1,800per metre—
uPVC screen 4.5″ Class D — slotted 0.75 mmKES 2,000per metre—
uPVC casing 6″ Class D — plainKES 3,200per metre—
uPVC screen 6″ Class D — slottedKES 3,600per metre—
uPVC casing 8″ Class D — plainKES 5,500per metre—
Steel casing 6″ — plainKES 4,800per metre—
Steel casing 10″ — plainKES 8,800per metre—
Steel casing 12″ — plainKES 10,500per metre—
Filter gravel pack, 2–4 mm washedKES 4,500per tonne—
Sanitary surface seal — cement grout, top 6 mKES 18,000lump sum—
Wellhead cover plate & lockable cap (steel)KES 6,500each—
Development & testing
Development by air-liftingKES 7,500per hour—
Test pumping — 24 hr constant discharge + recovery, with reportCommon choiceKES 65,000per job—
Test pumping — 48 hr constant discharge + recovery, with reportKES 110,000per job—
Step-drawdown test, 4 steps, with reportKES 45,000per job—
Water quality — basic potability panelKES 9,500per job—
Water quality — full chemical & bacteriological (KEBS/WHO)KES 18,500per job—
Disinfection / shock chlorinationKES 8,000per job—
Downhole CCTV camera inspection & reportKES 45,000per jobTo 300 m — casing condition, obstructions, water entries
Pump control & power
Control panel — single phase (DOL, dry-run, volt/amp protection)KES 18,500each—
Control panel — three phase (DOL, dry-run, phase-failure protection)KES 28,500each—
Star-delta starter panel (7.5 HP and above)KES 45,000each—
Electrode level controller + 3 probesKES 9,500per set—
Solar pump inverter (MPPT, 3-phase out), 0.75–22 kWQuoted per jobSized against the pump and the array — ask and we will price the specific kW
Storage & delivery
Plastic tank 5,000 L (UV-stabilised)KES 41,500eachSchedule rate — varies a little by brand
Plastic tank 10,000 LKES 85,000each—
Plastic tank 24,000 LKES 215,000each—
Pressed-steel sectional tank, galvanised, incl. erectionKES 28,000per m³—
Steel tower 6 m, for 5,000 L tank (fabricated & erected)KES 285,000each—
Steel tower 9 m, for 10,000 L tankKES 540,000each—
Steel tower 12 m, for 24,000 L tankKES 1,350,000each—
HDPE pipe PN16, 2″KES 480per metre—
GI pipe medium class, 2″KES 1,250per metre—
Pipeline trenching & backfilling, 600 mm deepKES 350per metre—
Civil works
Wellhead concrete slab 1×1 m with drainage apronKES 22,000per job—
Concrete tank base / plinth 2.5×2.5 m, reinforcedKES 45,000per job—
Pump house 2×2 m — masonry, lockable steel door, ventilatedKES 165,000per job—
Wellhead security cage, steel, lockableKES 38,000each—
Chain-link fencing incl. postsKES 1,800per metre—
Rock blasting — licensed blaster incl. explosivesKES 5,500per m³—
Blasting permit, police notification & escortKES 35,000per job—

What moves the price

  • Depth. The single biggest variable, and it is not known until the hole is down. The geophysical survey narrows it; nothing removes the uncertainty entirely.
  • Rock. The same metre costs KES 6,000 in soft ground and KES 9,500 in basalt at 6″ — a hard-rock site can add more than half again to the drilling line.
  • Diameter. Set by the pump you will need, which is set by the yield and the depth. Going from 6″ to 10″ raises both the metre rate and the casing cost.
  • Distance from the rig. Mobilisation runs KES 100,000 within 50 km and KES 320,000 beyond 300 km, before a single metre is drilled.
  • Collapsing formations. Sands and boulder beds need Symmetrix/ODEX simultaneous casing at KES 16,000–20,000 per metre against KES 7,500–12,500 conventional.
  • Whether an existing borehole can be rehabilitated instead. Rehabilitation runs KES 250,000 – 600,000 against KES 1,500,000 – 3,000,000+ to drill new.

What the figure excludes

  • The submersible pump and riser — priced separately once test pumping establishes the yield
  • Electrical supply to the site, or a generator where there is no grid
  • Access road works where a rig cannot reach the drill point
  • Any depth beyond the drilled metres actually quoted — the rate is fixed, the total depends on the hole
  • Figures are ex-VAT unless stated. Kenyan VAT is 16%, so a KES 600,000 quotation is KES 696,000 payable.

Get a firm figure for your site

A range is honest but it is not a quotation. Tell us the load and the location and you get a specific number, from an engineer, not a call centre.

Or call +254 768 860 665 — Embakasi workshop, engineers across all 47 counties.

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