What Skiza costs you
| Charge | Cost |
|---|---|
| Each Skiza tune, local or international | KES 1.50 a day, renewed at midnight |
| SMS to 811 | KES 1 per SMS |
| Calling the 811 voice menu | KES 3 a minute, billed per second |
| Most tunes you can hold | 40 |
Prices are from Safaricom's Skiza page and the Skiza terms. Five tunes cost KES 7.50 a day, about KES 225 a month. If your airtime runs out, the tune is paused until you top up. You can pay with Okoa Jahazi airtime but not with Bonga Points.
Getting, copying and deleting a tune
- Get a tune: dial *811# and search, or SMS SKIZA and the tune code to 811.
- Copy a friend's tune: while it plays on a call, press 11.
- See your tunes: dial *811# and choose Manage Active Tunes.
- Delete a tune: SMS DELETE and the code to 811, for example DELETE 5050005. There is no refund for the day already paid.
How the money is shared with artists
Section 30C of the Copyright Act, added in 2022, splits ring back tune revenue after tax like this:
| Who | Share |
|---|---|
| Artist or copyright owner | At least 52% |
| Phone company | 39.5% |
| Content provider (premium rate service provider) | 8.5% |
The split applies to the amount left after tax, so the artist's share of each KES 1.50 is well below 78 cents. Artists on Skiza can check their earnings by dialling *622#. The draft Copyright and Related Rights Bill 2026 keeps the same 52% share.
Payments have been disputed. In August 2025 the High Court ordered Safaricom and Airtel to release ring back tune revenue they had held back during a case brought by artists (Business Daily).
Related
Sources
- Safaricom: Skiza Tunes, last updated 17 August 2026, read 30 October 2026
- Safaricom: Skiza Tunes terms and conditions
- Copyright Act, Cap 130 (revised), section 30C
- Business Daily, 18 August 2025: Safaricom and Airtel ordered to release withheld Skiza cash