Shell as in M. volva, but apex not papilliform, spire whorls weakly convex, columella pleats obsolete, left side of base of body whorl usually almost flat, spiral lirae 4-5 on penultimate whorl; protoconch breadth 0,60-0,65 mm, 1st whorl depressed but evenly rounded; off-white, median third of body whorl with broad zone of light brown, also brown-tinged below suture, 1-2 peripheral cords with orange-brown spots; maximum length 5,2 mm.
Description: Shell cylindric-biconic (b/1 0,39-0,46, a/1 0,42-0,54), greatest width at/slightly anterior to middle, spire orthoconic, apex not papilliform; teleoconch whorls 4, almost flat to slightly convex, with basal periphery; periphery of body whorl gently convex, left side of base weakly concave to flat. Aperture relatively straight and parallel-sided anteriorly; labial callus thin, its outer edge barely free on columella, columella without pleats; labrum thin, smooth inside, gently and evenly curved, in side-view rather straight, with a shallow anal sinus immediately below suture, not preceded by a varix. Sculpture of strong spiral lirae and numerous fine, interstitial axial threads. First teleoconch whorl with 4 equal spiral lirae, a 5th sometimes visible in lower suture, all subequal to their intervals; these lirae do not increase in number with growth, but merely become broader, flatter and more widely spaced, the subsutural one being separated by a still wider interval; 3rd or 4th lira is peripheral; base of body whorl with 14-16 rather tabulate spiral lirae, narrower than their intervals, becoming fine and weak near distal end of rostrum.
Spire, protoconch and base of body whorl yellowish-white, peripheral cord with moderate orange spots; median third of body whorl (ie. anterior to periphery) and (more faintly) the sutural region tinged with moderate orange, occasionally with faint darker spots. Protoconch domed, of 1,5 whorls, 1st depressed, but evenly convex, suture very shallow; smooth; breadth 0,60-0,65 mm, height 0,38-0,45 mm (b/h 1,33-1,66).
Dimensions: 5,2 x 2,0 mm (holotype); 5,0 x 2,2 mm, 4,4 x 2,0 mm (paratypes).

Mitromorpha kennellyi closely resembles M. hewitti (Tomlin, 1921) in sculpture and coloration. It is distinguished by a concordance of small but constant characters: shape is more cylindrical in kennellyi, with a flatter-sided spire and base, a less convex body whorl, more truncate anterior end and shallower suture; maximum size is smaller; protoconch is lower and more domed, b/h 1,33-1,66 against 1,13-1,19 in hewitti, with shallower suture; median third of body whorl light orange-brown, instead of white. The last character distinguishes them at a glance. In shape and protoconch characters there is closer resemblance to M. volva

South-Africa. Eastern Cape littoral, from Port Alfred to East London.