>Those prices (2k/-) are frustratingly high.  Do people know why?

Actually at KShs 2K (~ $25) it's quite reasonable.  a .com is approx $12 a year and in the league of ccTLDs it's at the lower end of the spectrum (https://opensrs.com/site/services/domains).

Just speculating here but I'd imagine it's more expensive than .com due to a smaller economy of scale.