Top 10 USSD Codes That Every Kenyan Must Know And Memorize

Kenya is home to one of the most established innovation ecosystems in Africa. Homegrown successes such as M-Pesa are driving Internet adoption throughout the country, transforming Kenya into a digital-first nation.

A USSD code allows users to access various services, such as menu-type applications using shortcodes usually start with * and end with # and can be typed into any mobile phone or Smartphone to call up a specific action.

The country ranks 70 out of 79 sampled countries in connectivity and technology penetration, with an average score of 31 out of 120 according to tech giant Huawei’s Global Connectivity Index (GCI) 2020

Kenya scored the highest in broadband connectivity with a score of 62 out of 120, which represents a growth of 20 points. However, it ranked poorly on cloud services, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things.

The report shows that a majority of TUSEN still prefer to use traditional tools and applications such as USSD for their day-to-day and important transactions. In the East and Central Africa region, Kenya has been dubbed the powerhouse in technology and this is in line with the Vision 2030 launched in 2008 under the regime of President (Rtd.) Mwai Kibaki.

The incorporation of mobile phone services and technology in service delivery is at the center of this paradigm shift, improving efficiency and reducing the time spent in carrying out basic transactions.

Consequently, a number of services were automated and made available to citizens at the comfort of their mobile phones in the form of Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) codes.

1. Unclaimed Assets (*361#)

To check if you have any unclaimed assets, dial, *361#.  According to reports, the Unclaimed Financial Assets Authority (UFAA) revealed that the value of unclaimed assets stood at Ksh55 billion. UFAA stated that Kenyans have only filed 23,134 claims totaling Ksh1.5 billion since 2014.

2. Unknown Mobile numbers registered using your ID (*106*2#)

Last year, Safaricom introduced a new feature where anytime a new phone number was registered with your ID Number, you’d get a notification telling you about the same. This was a good move in helping people be aware of their registration status, and would really help fight fraud.

3. CRB Listing (Dial *433#)

CRB collects data on loans issued by the lenders and creates credit reports of the borrower based on the current and past loans. As of February 2021, 14 million Kenyans had been blacklisted by the Credit Reference Bureau (CRB). One can check their listing, status, and credit score by dialing *433#.

4. NHIF (*155#)

The majority of Kenyans cannot access quality health care services due to financial instability. The National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) is the body governed by providing health insurance in Kenya. NHIF registration can be done using the USSD code *155#.

Enrolled members can check their status, make payments, update their beneficiaries and make payments at the comfort of their phones.

5. NSSF (*303#)

The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) has the responsibility for providing basic social security to the worker in the private sector. NSSF has registered the members, collected the contribution, managed the NSSF finance, implemented and provided the benefits to the workers or beneficiaries

6. HELB (*642#)

Every year, nearly one million students are admitted to various universities and colleges across the country. Despite the outstanding performance, the majority of students are unable to raise tuition to pursue higher education.

7. Kenyan electricity (*977#)

Kenya Power, formerly Kenya Power and Lighting Company, is Kenya’s national electricity supplier. In recent years, the company has invented convenient methods for Kenyans to renew their electricity bills.

8. Nairobi Water (*888#)

The Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NAWASCO), popularly known as Nairobi Water, is charged with supplying and billing water and providing sewer services in the capital. Kenyans can access their bills and mini-statements by dialing *888#.

9. Nairobi County Services (*235#)

The new Nairobi County payment method was introduced in June 2019 after its contract with JamboPay that was facilitating revenue collection expired. You can now pay through shortcode *235# for; Car Park.

10. NTSA (22846)

Kenyans can access a range of services from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) by sending their identification (ID) numbers to 22846 using the format ID12345678.