Why do two quotes for the same kitchen differ so much?

Carcass material and hardware, almost always. A blockboard carcass with basic hinges and a marine plywood carcass with soft-close hardware look similar on installation day and behave completely differently after two years. Ask what the carcass is and what the hinges are rated for.

Are worktops included?

No. Worktops are a separate trade and a separate cost, quoted per square metre or per running foot in granite, quartz or terrazzo. We template and coordinate them but we price them separately so you can see what is joinery and what is stone.

Do appliances come out of this?

No. Appliances, sinks, taps and the extractor are supplied separately, by us or by you. We will tell you honestly where a cheaper appliance is a false economy: extractors and hinges are the two we see back most often.

Kitchen Cabinet Prices in Kenya: What a Fitted Kitchen Actually Costs

Q: What is a running foot?

The horizontal length of the run, with floor and wall units counted together, so a 3-metre wall of units with cupboards above and below is about 10 running feet, not 20. It is the standard Kenyan unit for fitted joinery, and a quote without a stated unit cannot be compared to anything.

The short answer

Fitted kitchens in Kenya run roughly KES 12,000 to 28,000+ per running foot, depending overwhelmingly on the carcass material and the hardware rather than on the design.

For a typical family kitchen of 18–26 running feet at mid specification, that is KES 290,000 to 570,000 for the joinery.

What a running foot is

The horizontal length of the run, counting floor and wall units together. A 3-metre wall with cupboards above and below is about 10 running feet, not 20.

This is the standard Kenyan unit and it is worth insisting on, because a quotation that gives a single figure with no unit cannot be compared with anything. Ask for the running-foot rate and the measured length, and two quotes become directly comparable.

What moves the number

Carcass material. The biggest driver, and invisible once the doors are on. Blockboard is cheapest; marine plywood costs more and survives Nairobi humidity considerably better under a sink.

Hardware. Hinges and drawer runners are rated by cycles. Cheap hinges on a kitchen used three times a day begin to sag within about two years, and they are tedious to replace once fitted.

Fronts. Laminate, MDF sprayed or foiled, acrylic, or solid timber, in ascending order.

Complexity. Tall banks, internal drawer systems, corner mechanisms, integrated appliance housings and non-standard heights all add. A plain run is cheap per foot; the same length with three appliance housings is not.

What is not in the rate

Worktops, sinks, taps, appliances, extractors, splashbacks, and any plumbing or electrical alteration the new layout requires. We quote those separately and visibly rather than folding them into a per-foot rate, so you can see what is joinery and what is not.

Where to spend and where not to

Spend on the carcass and the hinges. They are the parts you cannot upgrade later without replacing everything, and they decide whether the kitchen is still good in year five.

Do not overspend on the door finish. It is the most visible element and the least structural, and in ten years it is what you will want to change anyway.

Rates

Work	Rate	Notes
Blockboard carcass, laminate fronts	KES 12,000 – 16,000 / running ft	Budget standard
Marine plywood carcass, MDF fronts	KES 16,000 – 22,000 / running ft	Where most clients land
Solid wood or high-gloss acrylic fronts	KES 22,000 – 28,000+ / running ft	Premium

Rates reviewed 2026-08. Every job is confirmed with a written quotation before work starts.

Worked examples

Work	Rate	Notes
Apartment kitchen	10 – 14 running ft	Typical Westlands or Kilimani flat
Family house kitchen	18 – 26 running ft	Typical Karen, Runda or Lavington house
Mid-spec family kitchen, all in	KES 290,000 – 570,000	18–26 ft at marine ply / MDF