Is Sun King (Greenlight Planet) licensed in Kenya? (2026)

As of the Central Bank of Kenya April 2026 register of non-deposit taking credit providers, Sun King (Greenlight Planet) does not appear. What that means, what to check before signing a Sun King PAYGo contract, and how to verify current status.

by Arnold Ochieng Reviewed by Michael Mwangi 9 min read Updated 26 August 2026Verified 26 Aug 2026

The short, factual answer

As of the Central Bank of Kenya April 2026 register of non-deposit taking credit providers, Sun King (Greenlight Planet) does not appear [Source 1]. This is a public-record observation about a register on a specific date. It is not a legal accusation. It is the kind of check a prospective borrower should be doing before signing any Kenyan credit contract.

How to read this carefully

There are several possibilities that all fit the observed absence from the register:

The company may operate a credit product but has not been added to the CBK register yet.
The company may argue its Kenyan retail model does not constitute a "non-deposit taking credit business" within the meaning of the Act.
The company may be transitioning its Kenyan operations to a different structure.
The register itself may have been updated after April 2026; the paybillke position is anchored to that publication date.

None of these possibilities is an accusation of wrongdoing. Publishing the absence of a name from a public register is not the same as concluding the entity is operating illegally. The purpose of this page is to give a prospective Sun King customer the information they need to ask the right questions.

The relevant law

The Business Laws (Amendment) Act No. 20 of 2024, in force 27 December 2024 [Source 2], replaced "digital credit business" with "non-deposit taking credit business" in the CBK Act and expressly covered asset financing, PAYGo, and BNPL. Section 33S sets penalties for unlicensed operation at up to 3 years imprisonment or KES 5 million. Draft Non-Deposit-Taking Credit Providers Regulations followed in August 2025.

Sun King's core Kenyan product is a PAYGo solar system: customer pays a deposit, then daily or weekly instalments until the total is settled, with the device typically becoming inoperable if payments lapse. That product structure sits squarely inside the categories the 2024 Act was written to cover. Whether Sun King has taken a licence, applied and is pending, or takes the view its retail model is outside scope, is a question the company itself is best placed to answer.

For the wider context on the 2024 reform, see what the 2024 law changed for asset financing in Kenya.

What this means practically if you are a Sun King customer

Two things do not change based on licence status:

A written contract is a written contract. If you signed a PAYGo agreement with a Sun King entity in Kenya, the contract is enforceable on both sides under general contract law, licence or not.
The company can still collect on the debt, still remotely disable the device, and still pursue you through court for arrears.

Three things do change if a lender is not on the CBK register:

The CBK Code of Conduct complaint route does not apply. If the lender is not CBK-licensed, CBK Consumer Protection (0800 720 000) can receive a complaint but has limited enforcement leverage over an unlicensed entity [Source 3].
No standardised disclosure requirements apply. Licensed non-deposit-taking credit providers are subject to CBK reporting and conduct rules; unlicensed entities are not.
Recovery in a dispute is slower. If you have a dispute with an unlicensed lender, your route is direct: contract law and civil court. There is no regulator-mediated escalation.

For the wider playbook on unlicensed lender exposure, see what to do if an unlicensed lender takes your money in Kenya.

What to check before signing with Sun King (or any PAYGo provider)

Ask, in writing, for the CBK non-deposit taking credit provider licence number and date. If they hold one, that is a straightforward answer. If they do not, ask for their written explanation of why the 2024 Act does not apply to their Kenyan product.
Confirm total cost. Deposit plus every recurring payment, summed to the completion date. Not just the daily instalment in isolation.
Confirm what happens on missed payment. How many days before the device is locked, whether payment history and CRB reporting apply, and whether early settlement discounts exist.
Cross-check the register. Use our CBK Licence Checker. Verify against CBK's own site.

For the general lender-verification playbook, see how to check if a lender is licensed in Kenya, in 2 minutes.

Context

The CBK July 2026 press release cited 252 licensed non-deposit taking credit providers from more than 800 applications received since March 2022 [Source 4]. The register is being actively maintained. If Sun King is added subsequent to the April 2026 register, the paybillke position is that the current register is authoritative and this page will be updated at the next verification cycle.

Sources appendix

Central Bank of Kenya. Register of non-deposit-taking credit providers, April 2026 publication. Sun King (Greenlight Planet) does not appear in that register as of the publication date.
Business Laws (Amendment) Act No. 20 of 2024, Republic of Kenya. In force 27 December 2024. Section 33S penalties for unlicensed non-deposit-taking credit business. Draft Non-Deposit-Taking Credit Providers Regulations followed August 2025.
Central Bank of Kenya. Digital Credit Providers Code of Conduct, and CBK Consumer Protection line 0800 720 000. Complaint route applies to CBK-licensed lenders.
Central Bank of Kenya press release, July 2026, citing 252 licensed non-deposit taking credit providers from more than 800 applications received since March 2022.

FAQ

Is Sun King listed on the CBK non-deposit credit provider register?

Not as of the CBK April 2026 publication of the register. This is a factual public-record observation, not a legal conclusion. Verify current status against CBK's own site before making financial decisions.

Is it illegal for Sun King to lend without a CBK licence?

The Business Laws (Amendment) Act No. 20 of 2024, in force 27 December 2024, requires non-deposit-taking credit business (which expressly includes PAYGo) to be CBK-licensed. Section 33S sets penalties for unlicensed operation. Whether Sun King currently operates a PAYGo credit product in Kenya, and whether that product falls within the Act, are questions the company itself should be able to answer in writing.

What should I do before signing a Sun King contract?

Ask Sun King in writing for their CBK non-deposit taking credit provider licence number and date, request a full breakdown of total cost against the deposit and any recurring payments, and confirm what happens if you miss a payment. Keep the paper trail.

If Sun King is not CBK-licensed, do I have no protections?

A written contract is still enforceable in Kenya regardless of licence status, but the CBK Code of Conduct complaint route does not apply to unlicensed lenders. Recovery is harder and slower.