Spotify is rolling out audiobooks in Kenya from 14 Oct 2026 as part of its global expansion into more than 180 markets.

The company said eligible Free and Premium users in Kenya will have access to a catalogue of more than 350,000 titles at launch.

Spotify said its Audiobooks+ plan offers 15 hours of monthly listening for Ksh489 alongside options to purchase additional hours or individual books.

“Books change how we see the world” said Owen Smith, Spotify’s vice president of audiobooks.

The launch gives Kenyan publishers and self-published authors another distribution channel through Spotify for Authors under partnerships the company said are non-exclusive.

Spotify said these authors can upload audiobooks and reach listeners in more than 180 markets through the service.

The platform also provides insights into who listens to their work.

For Kenyan publishing businesses the service offers a route to audiences beyond the domestic market without requiring exclusive audiobook partnerships.

Spotify said its Kenyan catalogue will grow as new partners join and local authors upload their work.

Listeners who exhaust their monthly allowance can buy a 10-hour top-up for Ksh589 or purchase an individual title to keep.

The release does not specify individual book prices or the financial terms available to authors and publishers.

Those terms remain an information gap for Kenyan businesses considering audiobook distribution through the platform.

Spotify said the app includes a dedicated Audiobooks section for searches and browsing alongside recommendations based on listening across music, podcasts and books.

Its Page Match feature lets readers move between print, ebook and audio versions by scanning an ISBN barcode and entering page numbers.

Spotify said more than one million readers have used Page Match and the feature supports over 30 languages.

The company said listening progress is saved across more than 2,000 supported devices so users can continue a book on another device.

Listeners can also download audiobooks for offline use and set a sleep timer to stop playback.

The Kenyan rollout forms part of an expansion from 22 audiobook markets to more than 180 by the end of 2026.

Spotify said the wider rollout will make the catalogue available to more than 750 million people.

The company said monthly audiobook listeners grew nearly 40 per cent over the past year and listening hours rose more than 30 per cent.

Audiobooks+ has gained more than one million subscribers since launching just over a year ago according to Spotify.

The company introduced audiobooks into Premium three years before the Kenyan launch.

Spotify said further catalogue additions in Kenya will follow as publishers join and local authors submit their audiobooks.