In the three months to June 2026, domestic parcels handled by the Postal Corporation of Kenya (Posta) jumped 549.2 per cent to 667,978 in the April-June quarter /HANDOUTKenya Postal Corporation's recent restructuring and shift to e-commerce have begun bearing fruit, with the state agency recording a rise in operations under its courier business.
Data from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) shows that the county reported a surge in domestic parcel deliveries that is now helping offset weakness in international courier business.
In the three months to June 2026, domestic parcels handled by the Postal Corporation of Kenya (Posta) jumped 549.2 per cent to 667,978 in the April-June quarter, up from 102,890 in the previous quarter.
The sharp increase comes as businesses and consumers increasingly rely on online shopping and last-mile delivery services. The CA notes that parcel volumes include those generated through e-commerce services.
The growth points to a changing role for the postal sector, which has traditionally depended heavily on letters as digital communication reduced demand for conventional mail.
“Domestic letters handled by Posta stood at 146,935 during the quarter, compared with the much larger increase recorded in parcels. International incoming and outgoing letters also continued to decline,” CA said in its latest quarterly report.
The shift is also visible across the private courier market, where domestic deliveries are becoming an increasingly important source of growth.
Private courier operators handled 3.37 million domestic parcels during the quarter, although this represented an 8.5 per cent decline from 3.68 million parcels in the previous quarter.
At the same time, international incoming parcels increased by 28.6 per cent to 244,545, while international outgoing parcels rose by 11.9 per cent to 19,275.
The broader courier industry recorded stronger financial performance despite the mixed movement in parcel volumes.
According to the CA report, total courier industry revenue increased by 6.7 per cent from Sh6.28 billion in 2024 to Sh6.70 billion in 2025.
However, the growth was driven largely by national courier services, whose revenue jumped 67.5 per cent from Sh1.20 billion to Sh2.01 billion during the year.
International courier revenue moved in the opposite direction, falling 7.7 per cent from Sh5.08 billion to Sh4.69 billion.
The figures point to a significant change in the structure of Kenya’s delivery market, with local distribution becoming a stronger contributor to industry revenues as international courier business comes under pressure.
For postal and courier companies, the growth of e-commerce provides an opportunity to reposition their networks around parcel collection, warehousing and last-mile delivery rather than traditional mail.
The CA data also shows that domestic courier letters increased 43.3 per cent during the April-June quarter to 912,480, while international incoming courier letters rose 29.2 per cent.
The growth in e-commerce-related parcel activity is likely to increase demand for delivery networks capable of reaching customers beyond major urban centres.
For retailers and online businesses, the expansion of domestic courier services also offers a larger infrastructure base for delivering goods ordered through digital platforms.
