The verdict in three sentences
For an immigration and relocation firm in Nairobi, a redesign costs, as a 2026 ballpark, between KES 300,000 and 900,000 at a mid-size Westlands agency (about USD 2,300 to 7,000), and the Kolonell grid runs from USD 2,900 to USD 8,900 at a fixed price. The real risk is not the budget but traffic loss on your service pages (work permits, relocation of NGO staff, school and housing search) and the security of documents clients send you. A successful redesign starts with a URL inventory, a 301 redirect map and a compliance review before go-live.
What are the signs that a redesign is due?
Firms in Westlands, Upper Hill or Gigiri will often recognise these symptoms:
- The site is hard to read on mobile, even though most expatriate enquiries arrive from a phone.
- Forms send passport copies and family details by plain email, with no retention rule.
- Service pages are several years old and describe procedures that have changed.
- The copy implicitly promises an outcome ("get your permit in X weeks"), which a firm can never guarantee: the decision belongs to the Kenyan authorities.
- There is no French version for French-speaking clients from international organisations.
What budget should you plan for the redesign?
The local ranges below come from typical Nairobi agency quotes and public rate pages, converted at about KES 129 to USD 1. They are 2026 ballpark figures.
| Option | Local range (KES) | Approximate equivalent (USD) | Usual timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nairobi freelancer | KES 80,000 to 250,000 | about USD 620 to 1,900 | 4 to 8 weeks |
| Mid-size Westlands agency | KES 300,000 to 900,000 | about USD 2,300 to 7,000 | 6 to 12 weeks |
| Established regional agency | KES 900,000 to 2,500,000 | about USD 7,000 to 19,400 | 10 to 16 weeks |
| Kolonell Starter | not applicable | USD 2,900 | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Kolonell Growth | not applicable | USD 4,900 | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Kolonell Premium (the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote) | not applicable | USD 8,900 | 3 to 4 weeks |
Kolonell tiers include a project manager reachable in your time zone, native English or French copywriting, delivery in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready and 3 months of support. These stay on quote: a client portal, a secure document upload area, integration with a CRM or case management tool, and search work. See the international offer.
How long does a redesign take, phase by phase?
| Phase | Content | Indicative duration |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping and inventory | List of every existing URL, pages that generate enquiries, Search Console export | 3 to 4 days |
| Content | Rewriting the permit, relocation, school and housing pages, with no outcome promises | 1 week |
| Design and build | Mobile templates, forms, pages by profile (NGO, company, family) | 1 to 1.5 weeks |
| Redirects and testing | Full 301 map, form tests, accessibility checks | 3 to 4 days |
| Compliance review | A partner signs off marketing copy and the privacy notice | 2 to 3 days |
| Go-live and monitoring | Switch-over, sitemap submission, error tracking | 2 to 4 weeks of monitoring |
What are the main risks, and how do you reduce them?
| Risk | Consequence | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|
| Search ranking loss | "Work permit Kenya" pages drop out of results | URL inventory, page-by-page 301 redirects, Search Console tracking |
| Document leak | Passport copies exposed | Secure upload on quote, or collection off-site; written retention period |
| Botched content migration | Outdated guides copied as they are | Review every guide before migration |
| Broken forms | Enquiries lost for several days | Test each form before and after the switch |
| Downtime | Site unavailable during the DNS change | Switch on a quiet day, lower the TTL the day before |
| Outcome promises | Reputational and regulatory risk | Compliance review before go-live |
On data, Kenya's Data Protection Act 2019 applies, overseen by the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC). Passport data and family information call for minimal collection, controlled hosting and a defined retention period. Aim for WCAG 2.1 AA for accessibility. This is not legal advice.
When is a local agency the better choice?
To be frank: if you want Swahili pages written by a native speaker based in Nairobi, if your redesign includes a case-tracking portal linked to your internal tools, or if your team needs in-person workshops to agree on its services, a Westlands agency is a solid choice. A remote studio fits when the scope is clear and you want a fixed price and a short timeline.
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Mini case study
Illustrative example: Wanjiru, a partner at a relocation firm in Westlands. Her site has 120 URLs, 45 of which receive visits from search engines. The firm gets an average of 40 enquiries a month, 25 of them from search.
Without redirects, a temporary 30% drop in search traffic would cost about 25 × 0.3 = 7.5 enquiries a month. So she has the 45 useful URLs mapped with 301s. Budget: Growth at USD 4,900, plus an independent translator for 6 pages in French, KES 40,000 (about USD 310), paid directly: USD 5,210 in total. A Westlands agency had quoted KES 750,000, about USD 5,800. The document upload portal stays on quote, for a second phase.
FAQ
Can we keep our current URLs during the redesign?
Yes, it is often the best option when they are clean. Otherwise every useful old URL gets a 301 redirect, for example 45 rules for 45 pages.
How long can traffic dip after the redesign?
With correct redirects, any dip often recovers within 2 to 8 weeks. Without redirects, it can last much longer.
Should we collect passports through the site?
Not at first contact: name, email, type of need and arrival date are enough, so 4 to 5 fields. Documents are collected afterwards through a secure channel.
Is a French version worth the cost?
If a meaningful share of your clients comes from French-speaking organisations, yes. Premium at USD 8,900 covers several languages (the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote).
What should the compliance review check?
That there is no promise of a visa or permit, the privacy notice and any statements about processing times. Plan 2 to 3 days of review by a partner.
Let's scope your project. A redesign with a URL inventory, 301 redirects and forms aligned with the Data Protection Act, delivered in 3 to 4 weeks from USD 2,900. See the international offer or request a free quote: detailed reply within 48 hours.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.